Opposables and Automated Specimen Processing Systems With Opposables

ABSTRACT

A specimen processing system is capable of processing specimens carried on slides. The specimen processing system can sequentially deliver slides and opposables to specimen processing stations. The specimen processing stations can use the opposables to apply a series of liquids to the specimens. The applied liquid can be moved along the slide using capillary action while the specimen processing stations control the processing temperatures. The applied liquid can be in a fluid-carrying gap. The opposable can contact the slide to vary a cross section of the fluid-carrying gap.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.14/542,518 filed Nov. 14, 2014 and entitled “Thin Film ProcessingApparatuses for Adjustable Volume Accommodation,” which is a divisionalof U.S. application Ser. No. 13/509,785 filed Nov. 12, 2012 and entitled“Thin Film Processing Apparatuses For Adjustable Volume Accommodation,”which is a U.S. National Phase application of PCT/US2010/056752, filedNov. 15, 2010, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/261,267 filed on Nov. 13, 2009;this application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser.No. 14/743,675 filed on Jun. 18, 2015, which is a continuationapplication of PCT/EP2013/077557, entitled “Automated SpecimenProcessing Systems And Methods Of Using The Same,” andPCT/EP2013/077559, entitled “Specimen Processing Systems And Methods ForModerating Evaporation,” and PCT/EP2013/077560, entitled “SpecimenProcessing Systems And Method For Uniformly Heating Slides” andPCT/US2013/077192, entitled “Specimen Processing Systems And Methods ForAligning Slides,” each filed on Dec. 20, 2013, and which claim benefitof and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Nos. 61/746,085,61/746,087, 61/746,089, and 61/746,091 filed Dec. 26, 2012, and U.S.Provisional Patent Application Nos. 61/799,098, 61/794,757, 61/799,497,and 61/798,238 filed Mar. 15, 2013. All applications listed above areincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to systems for treating specimens carried onmicroscope slide for analysis. In particular, the disclosure relates tomicroscope slide carrying specimen processing systems and methods ofprocessing such specimens.

BACKGROUND

A wide variety of techniques have been developed to prepare and analyzebiological specimens. Example techniques include microscopy, microarrayanalyses (e.g., protein and nucleic acid microarray analyses), and massspectrometric methods. Specimens are prepared for analysis by applyingone or more liquids to the specimens. If a specimen is treated withmultiple liquids, both the application and the subsequent removal ofeach of the liquids can be important for producing samples suitable foranalysis.

Microscope slides bearing biological specimens, e.g., tissue sections orcells, are often treated with one or more dyes or reagents to add colorand contrast to otherwise transparent or invisible cells or cellcomponents. Specimens can be prepared for analysis by manually applyingdyes or other reagents to specimen-bearing slides. This labor-intensiveprocess often results in inconsistent processing due to individualtechniques among laboratory technicians.

“Dip and dunk” automated machines immerse specimens in liquids by atechnique similar to manual immersing techniques. These automatedmachines can process specimens in batches by submerging racks carryingmicroscope slides in open baths. Unfortunately, carryover of liquidsbetween containers leads to contamination and degradation of theprocessing liquids. Worse, cells sloughing of the specimen carryingslides can cause contamination of other slides in the liquid baths.These types of processes also utilize excessive volumes of liquids,resulting in relatively high processing costs when the reagents must bechanged to reduce the possibility of specimen cross-contamination. Opencontainers are also prone to evaporative losses and reagent oxidativedegradation that may significantly alter the concentration andeffectiveness of the reagents, resulting in inconsistent processing. Itmay be difficult to process samples without producing significantvolumes of waste that may require special handling and disposal.

Immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization staining processes areoften used to prepare tissue specimens. The rate of immunohistochemicaland in situ hybridization staining of sectioned fixed tissue on amicroscope slide is limited by the speed at which molecules (e.g.,conjugating biomolecules) can diffuse into the fixed tissue from anaqueous solution placed in direct contact with the tissue section.Tissue is often “fixed” immediately after excision by placing it in a10% solution of formaldehyde, which preserves the tissue fromautocatalytic destruction by cross-linking much of the protein viamethylene bridges. This cross-linked tissue may present many additionalbarriers to diffusion, including the lipid bilayer membranes thatenclose individual cells and organelles. Conjugate biomolecules(antibody or DNA probe molecules) can be relatively large, ranging insize from a few kilodaltons to several hundred kilodaltons, whichconstrains them to diffuse slowly into solid tissue with typical timesfor sufficient diffusion being in the range of several minutes to a fewhours. Typical incubation conditions are 30 minutes at 37 degreescentigrade. The stain rate is often driven by a concentration gradientso the stain rate can be increased by increasing the concentration ofthe conjugate in the reagent to compensate for slow diffusion.Unfortunately, conjugates are often very expensive, so increasing theirconcentration is wasteful and often not economically viable.Additionally, the excessive amount of conjugate that is driven into thetissue, when high concentrations are used, is entrapped in the tissue,is difficult to rinse out, and causes high levels of non-specificbackground staining. In order to reduce the noise due to non-specificbackground staining and increase the signal of specific staining, lowconcentrations of conjugate with long incubation times are often used toallow the conjugate to bind only to the specific sites.

Histology staining instruments often use relatively large volumes ofreagent (100 μL) in a puddle of typically 300 μL of buffer. Someconventional instruments mix the reagent by alternating tangential airjets onto an overlaying oil layer that rotates and counter-rotates whencontacted by the alternating air jets, thereby imparting motion into theunderlying aqueous puddle. This mixing is slow and not particularlyvigorous, and it can create significant evaporation losses, especiallyat the elevated temperatures that are often necessary. Large volumes ofrinse liquid are used to physically displace the large puddles ofreagents, which are covered with oil. This rinsing procedure produceslarge volumes of waste liquid, which may be hazardous waste.

OVERVIEW OF TECHNOLOGY

At least some embodiments of the technology are directed to biologicalspecimen processing systems capable of processing specimens carried onslides. The specimen processing systems can sequentially deliver slidesand opposing surfaces (opposables) to specimen processing stations. Thespecimen processing stations can use opposables to manipulate and directa series of liquids to the specimens. The liquids can be manipulatedover or across the slide surfaces in conjunction with capillary actionwhile the specimen processing stations control the movement of theopposables and the processing temperatures for histology staining,immunohistochemical staining, in situ hybridization staining, or otherspecimen processing protocols. In some embodiments, the opposables aresurfaces or opposable elements capable of manipulating one or moresubstances on a slide. Manipulating a substance in the form of a fluidcan include spreading the fluid, displacing a thin film of fluid, orotherwise altering a bolus of fluid, a band of fluid, or a thin film.

At least some embodiments of the technology are directed to a systemthat contacts a biological specimen with a liquid by moving an opposablein contact with the liquid. A distance separating a non-planar (e.g.,curved), wetted surface of the opposable and a slide carrying thespecimen is sufficient to form a liquid meniscus layer between thewetted surface and the slide. The meniscus layer contacts at least aportion of the biological specimen and is moved across the slide usingcapillary and other manipulative action.

The meniscus layer, in some embodiments, can be a relatively thin fluidfilm, a band of fluid, or the like. The opposable is movable todifferent positions relative to the slide and can accommodate differentvolumes of liquid forming the meniscus layer. The capillary action caninclude, without limitation, movement of the meniscus layer due to thephenomenon of the liquid spontaneously creeping through the gap betweenthe curved, wetted opposable surface and the slide due to adhesiveforces, cohesive forces, and/or surface tension. The opposable canmanipulate (e.g., agitate, displace, etc.) the liquid to process thespecimen using relatively small volumes of a liquid to help manage wasteand provide consistent processing. Evaporative losses, if any, can bemanaged to maintain a desired volume of liquid, reagent concentration,or the like. Relatively low volumes of liquids can be used to processthe specimens for a reduced liquid waste.

In some embodiments, a system includes one or more automated slideholders that can heat individual slides via conduction to producetemperature profiles across slides that compensate for heat losses. Theheat losses can be caused by evaporation of liquid in a gap between aslide and an opposable disposed proximate to the slide. In oneembodiment, the slide holder has a slide support surface and produces anon-uniform temperature profile along the slide support surfacecontacting the slide such that a specimen-bearing surface of the slidehas a substantially uniform temperature profile when the slide islocated on the slide support surface. In some embodiments, a non-uniformtemperature profile is produced across the slide support surface while asubstantially uniform temperature profile is produced along the mountingsurface of the slide. Another feature of at least some embodiments ofthe present technology is that the slide holder can be configured toproduce a low temperature heating zone and a high temperature heatingzone surrounding the low temperature heating zone. The high temperaturezone can compensate for relative high evaporative heat losses to keepthe specimen at a generally uniform temperature.

In some embodiments, a slide processing apparatus for processing aspecimen carried by a slide includes a staining module. The stainingmodule includes a slide holder platen, an opposable element, and anopposable actuator. The slide holder platen has a first sidewall, asecond sidewall, and a slide receiving region between the first andsidewall. A slide is positioned on the slide receiving region. The slideincludes a first edge and an opposing second edge. The opposableactuator holds an opposable element having a first and a second edgeportion to form a capillary gap between the opposable element and theslide. The first edge portion of the opposable element is closer to thefirst edge of the slide, while the second edge portion of the opposableelement is closer to the second edge of the slide.

The slide processing apparatus, in some embodiments, includes one ormore dispensers positioned to deliver a supplemental liquid between theopposable element and the slide while a liquid is held in the gap therebetween. Additionally, the slide processing apparatus can include acontroller communicatively coupled to the dispenser(s) and programmed tocommand the dispenser such that the dispenser delivers the supplementalliquid to keep a volume of liquid between the opposable element and theslide within an equilibrium volume range. In some embodiments, thecontroller is programmed to deliver supplemental liquid at apredetermined rate. In one embodiment, the predetermined rate is equalto or less than about 7 μL per minute. The rate can be selected based onthe specimen staining protocol being processed.

The slide processing apparatus, in some embodiments, further comprises aplurality of additional staining modules and a controller configured toindependently control each of the staining modules. The staining modulescan use disposable or reusable opposable elements (opposables) to spreadand move reagents across the specimens.

The first edge portion of the opposable element can extend to or beyondthe first edge of the slide and the second edge portion of the opposableelement can extend to or beyond the opposite edge of the slide. Theopposable element can include a mounting end having at least one slotdimensioned to be received and retained by at least a portion of theopposable actuator. In some embodiments, the opposable element has acaptivation end and an arcuate main body extending from the captivationend. The arcuate main body is configured to roll along or above theslide to move a liquid across the surface of the slide. The captivationend has a radius of curvature equal to or less than about 0.08 inch.Other dimensions can also be used.

The opposable element can include a first and a second slide contactsurface located proximate to each opposable element edge portionrespectively. Such slide contact surfaces can comprise intermittentslide contact surfaces with spaces therebetween to enable fluid to passtherethrough.

The staining module can include at least one heating element positionedto conductively heat the first sidewall, the second sidewall, or both.The opposable actuator is moveable to roll a curved portion of theopposable element along or above the slide to move a band of a liquidacross at least a portion of the slide carrying a specimen. The slideholder can be used to heat the slide, specimen, and/or liquid while theband of liquid is manipulated across the specimen.

In some embodiments, a system for processing a specimen carried by aslide comprises a specimen processing station and a controller. Thespecimen processing station includes an opposable actuator and a slideholder platen. The slide holder platen includes a slide support regionand a liquid replenishment device. The slide holder platen is configuredto heat a liquid on a slide at the slide support region while anopposable element held by the opposable actuator contacts and moves theliquid across the slide surface. The replenishment device is configuredto deliver a supplemental liquid between the opposable element and theslide. The controller is programmed to control the specimen processingstation such that the replenishment device delivers the supplementalliquid at a replenishing rate to compensate for evaporative losses ofthe liquid.

The controller, in some embodiments, includes one or more memories and aprogrammable processor. The memory stores a first sequence of programinstructions and a second sequence of program instructions. Theprogrammable processor is configured to execute the first sequence ofprogram instructions in order to process a specimen on the slide with afirst liquid and configured to execute the second sequence of programinstructions to process the specimen with a second liquid that isdifferent from the first liquid. In some embodiments, the programmableprocessor is configured to execute the first sequence of programinstructions in order to heat the slide to a first temperature using theslide holder platen, and the controller is configured to execute thesecond sequence of program instructions in order to heat the slide to asecond temperature using the slide platen, the second temperature isdifferent from the first temperature.

The controller, in some embodiments, is configured to execute a firstsequence of program instructions to command the replenishment device todeliver a first liquid to the slide at a first rate. The controller isfurther configured to execute a second sequence of program instructionsto command the replenishment device to deliver a second liquid to theslide at a second rate that is different from the first rate. In certainembodiments, the first rate corresponds to an evaporation rate of thefirst liquid, and the second rate corresponds to an evaporation rate ofthe second liquid. The controller can help moderate evaporative losses.

The controller, in some embodiments, includes a memory that stores areplenishment program executable by the controller in order to keep avolume of the liquid on the slide within an equilibrium volume range. Incertain embodiments, the equilibrium volume range is about 70 μL toabout 200 μL. In certain embodiments, the controller is programmed tocommand the specimen processing station to keep a volume of the liquidbetween a maximum equilibrium volume corresponding to an over-wettingcondition and a minimum equilibrium volume corresponding to anunder-wetting condition. The controller, in some embodiments, isprogrammed to command the specimen processing station to move a volumeof the liquid across a specimen held on the slide by moving an opposableelement held by the opposable actuator relative to the slide and canalso be programmed to deliver the supplemental liquid from thereplenishment device to generally compensate for a decrease in thevolume of the liquid due to evaporation.

The controller, in some embodiments, is configured to receive referenceevaporation rate information (e.g., evaporation rate information for theliquid) from a memory and to control the specimen processing stationbased on the reference evaporation rate information. Additionally oralternatively, the controller can be programmed to command the specimenprocessing station such that the replenishment device provides thesupplemental liquid at a rate selected based on an evaporation rate ofthe liquid.

The system for processing a specimen, in some embodiments, furthercomprises an opposable element and a controller. The opposable elementis held by the opposable actuator and can extend outwardly past edges ofthe slide. The controller is programmed to control the specimenprocessing station to move the opposable element while the opposableelement manipulates the liquid across the slide while an evaporationrate of the liquid is kept equal to or less than about a predeterminedrate (e.g., 7 μL per minute, 5 μL per minute, or the like).

The slide holder platen, in some embodiments, includes a heating elementthat receives electrical energy and outputs thermal energy to heat theslide via conduction. The heating element can include one or moreresistive heating elements.

In some embodiments, a method of processing a specimen carried by aslide comprises heating a liquid on a slide held by a slide holder. Theopposable element is rolled to contact the liquid on the slide and tomove the liquid across a biological specimen on the slide. Areplenishing rate is determined based on an evaporation rate of theliquid. A supplemental liquid is delivered based on the replenishingrate to substantially compensate for evaporative losses of the liquid.The opposable element, which contacts the liquid comprising thesupplemental liquid, is rolled so as to repeatedly contact the specimenwith the liquid.

The volume of the supplemental liquid delivered onto the slide can beequal to or greater than a decrease in the volume of the liquid viaevaporation. Additionally or alternatively, the supplemental liquid canbe delivered onto the slide by delivering the supplemental liquid tokeep a volume of the liquid on the slide equal to or greater than aminimum equilibrium volume and at or below a maximum equilibrium volume.Additionally or alternatively, the supplemental liquid can be deliveredonto the slide while the opposable element rolls along the slide.

In some embodiments, a method of processing a specimen on a slideincludes moving a liquid along a slide using an opposable elementcontacting the liquid. The temperature of the liquid on the slide iscontrolled while moving the liquid. At least one of a volume of theliquid and/or a total evaporation rate of the liquid is evaluated, and asupplemental liquid is delivered onto the slide based on the evaluationto keep the volume of the liquid on the slide within an equilibriumvolume range. In certain embodiments, the volume of the liquid and thetotal evaporation rate of the liquid and be received from a memory toevaluate the volume of the liquid and the total evaporation rate of theliquid from a memory evaluating the at least one of the volume of theliquid and/or the total evaporation rate of the liquid includesreceiving. The equilibrium volume range can be about 125 μL to about 175μL.

In some embodiments, a slide processing apparatus comprises a slideholder platen and an opposable actuator. The slide holder platen has areceiving region configured to receive a slide with a first side of theslide facing the receiving region and a second side facing away from thereceiving region. The opposable actuator is positioned to hold anopposable element to define a capillary gap between the opposableelement and a slide surface located at the receiving region. Theopposable actuator is configured to advance the capillary gap in a firstdirection along the slide to move a band of liquid across the length andwidth of the second side of the slide from a first position to a secondposition.

The opposable actuator, in some embodiments, is configured toalternatingly roll the opposable element along the slide in the firstdirection and a second direction opposite the first direction tomanipulate the band of liquid across the surface of the slide betweenthe first position and the second position. The band of liquid at thefirst position is between an end of the opposable element and the slide,and the band of liquid at the second position is between the opposableelement and an end of the slide. The band of liquid can be narrowed ateach of the first position and the second position prior to moving theband of liquid to the other of the first position and second position.The opposable actuator, in some embodiments, is a variable bandwidthcompression opposable actuator configured to decrease the width of theband a predetermined amount. The predetermined amount can be selected bya controller or an operator.

The opposable actuator, in some embodiments, is configured to move theopposable element relative to the slide to reduce the width of the bandof liquid at an end of an opening defined by an end of at least one ofthe slide and/or the opposable element by at least 50%, 40%, or 25%.Additionally or alternatively, the opposable actuator can be configuredto move the opposable element to displace the band of liquid between thefirst position and the second position while maintaining the latitudinalwidth of the band of liquid. The opposable actuator, in someembodiments, is moveable between a first configuration in which the bandof liquid is narrowed at a first end of an opening between the opposableelement and an end of the slide and a second configuration in which theband of liquid is narrowed at a second end of the opening. The opposableactuator, in some embodiments, is movable to an over-roll configurationto move a first side of the band of liquid towards a second side of theband of liquid to decrease the width of the band of liquid while thesecond side of the band of liquid is held substantially stationary at anend of one of the opposable element and the slide.

The slide processing apparatus, in some embodiments, further comprises astaining module and a controller. The staining module comprises theslide holder platen and the opposable actuator. The controller iscommunicatively coupled to the staining module. The controller isprogrammed to command the staining module to move the opposable elementto move the capillary gap.

The slide processing apparatus, in some embodiments, further comprisesan opposable element including a mounting end held by an opposablereceiver of the opposable actuator, a captivating end opposite themounting end, and a main body. The main body is between the mounting endand the captivating end. The captivating end cooperates with the slideto accumulate the liquid at an end of a mounting surface of the slideproximate to a label on the slide as the mounting end is moved away fromthe slide.

The slide processing apparatus, in some embodiments, further comprisesan opposable element having a tapered end facing the receiving region.The tapered end is positioned to contact and captivate the band ofliquid. In certain embodiments, the tapered end includes a roundedregion extending between opposite longitudinally extending edges of theopposable element.

The opposable actuator, in some embodiments, has a rolling state to rollthe opposable element along the slide to move the band of liquid from alocation at an end of an opening defined by an end of the slide and theopposable element to a location at an opposing end of the opening. Theopposable actuator can have a static state to keep the opposable elementstationary relative to the slide to perform, for example, incubation.

The slide processing apparatus, in some embodiments, further comprises aslide supported by a contact surface of the receiving region such thatthe slide extends laterally outward past opposing edges of the contactsurface. The slide can carry one or more specimens.

The slide processing apparatus, in some embodiments, further comprisesan opposable element held by the opposable actuator. The opposableelement has a curved captivation end. The captivation end can have aradius of curvature equal to or less than about 0.08 inch. In certainembodiments, the opposable element has an arcuate body for rolling alongthe slide at the receiving region.

In some embodiments, a slide processing apparatus comprises a slideholder platen and an opposable actuator. The opposable actuator includesan opposable receiver and a drive mechanism. The opposable receiver ispositioned to hold an opposable element and to form a capillary gapbetween the opposable element and a slide held by the slide holderplaten when in an activation position. The drive mechanism has a rollingstate for rolling the opposable element in a first direction along theslide to move a band of liquid to an end of a space between theopposable element and the slide. The drive mechanism has an over-rollingstate for rolling the opposable element in the first direction todecrease a width of the band of liquid captivated at the end of thespace.

The opposable actuator, in some embodiments, is configured to move theopposable element to move the band of liquid across at least most of amounting surface of the slide. The width of the band of liquid can bedecreased by moving at least a portion of the opposable element awayfrom the slide. The width of the band of liquid is in a directionsubstantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the slide.

In some embodiments, a method for processing a specimen carried by aslide comprises delivering a slide and an opposable element to astaining module. The opposable element held by the staining module ispositioned relative to the slide held by the staining module to hold aliquid in a capillary gap between the slide and the opposable element.The opposable element is moved relative to the slide to displace theliquid in a first direction that is substantially parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the slide and towards an end of an opening betweenthe slide and the opposable element. The opposable element is movedrelative to the slide to reduce a width of a band of the liquid in thefirst direction while the band of liquid is captivated at the end of theopening.

The band of liquid, in some embodiments, is alternatingly moved betweenthe end of the opening and an opposing end of the opening by rolling theopposable element along the slide in the first direction and a seconddirection opposite the first direction. The opposable element caninclude one or more gapping elements for maintaining spacing between amain body of the opposable element and the slide.

The band of liquid, in some embodiments, is spread to increase the widthof the band of liquid. The spread band of liquid can be moved across aspecimen on the slide. In certain embodiments, the width of the band ofliquid is reduced at one end of the capillary gap prior to moving theband of liquid to the other end of the gap.

The method for processing the specimen, in some embodiments, furthercomprises captivating substantially all of the liquid at the end of thegap while reducing the width of the band of liquid.

The method for processing the specimen, in some embodiments, furthercomprises displacing the band of liquid across a specimen on the slidewhile maintaining the width of the band of liquid.

The method for processing the specimen, in some embodiments, furthercomprises reducing the width of the band of liquid by at least 50% bymoving the opposable element relative to the slide. A volume of theliquid can be equal to or greater than about 75 μL.

The width of the band of liquid, in some embodiments, is less than alength of the band of the liquid. The width of the band of liquid issubstantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slide. The lengthof the band of liquid is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinalaxis of the slide.

In some embodiments, a slide heating apparatus comprises a supportelement and a heater. The support element has a support surfaceconfigured to support a slide with a back side of the slide facing thesupport surface and a specimen-bearing surface of the slide opposite theback side of the slide. The heater is coupled to the support element.The slide heating apparatus is configured to deliver thermal energynon-uniformly across the support surface to the back side of the slidevia conduction to substantially compensate for non-uniform heat lossesassociated with evaporation of a liquid on the specimen-bearing surface.

The heater, in some embodiments, is positioned to deliver heat to theslide via the support element to produce a substantially uniformtemperature profile along a specimen-bearing portion of thespecimen-bearing surface. In some embodiments, the substantially uniformtemperature profile has less than a 5% temperature variation across thespecimen-bearing portion of the specimen-bearing surface. In someembodiments, the substantially uniform temperature profile has less thana 4° C. temperature variation across the specimen-bearing surface. Othertemperature profiles can also be achieved.

The heater, in some embodiments, includes at least two spaced apartelongate portions for conductively heating side portions of the supportsurface and two end heating portions of the support surface extendingbetween the elongate portions. The two end heating portions arepositioned to heat both a portion of the support surface for contactingan end of the slide and a portion of the support surface for contactinga region of the slide adjacent to a label of the slide.

The slide heating apparatus, in some embodiments, is configured toproduce a low heating zone along a central region of the support surfaceand a high heating zone along the support surface. The high heating zonecan surround (e.g., circumferentially surround) the low heating zone.

The slide heating apparatus, in some embodiments, further comprises aconvection assembly positioned to produce a convective flow that passesthrough a pocket defined by the heater to cool the support element. Insome embodiments, the convection assembly includes one or more fans. Theconvective flow can cool the support element without flowing across thespecimen on the slide.

The slide heating apparatus, in some embodiments, further comprises apair of sidewalls each having a thermally conductive portion and aninsulating portion. The thermally conductive portion facing the slide toheat the slide.

The slide heating apparatus, in some embodiments, further comprises anovermolded holder comprising an insulating material. The support elementis positioned between and supported by sidewalls of the overmoldedholder. The insulating material can have a thermal conductivity that isless than a thermal conductivity of a material of the support element.In some embodiments, the insulating material comprises a non-metalmaterial (e.g., plastic) and the support element comprises metal.

In some embodiments, at least one of the heater and the support elementcomprises mostly stainless steel by weight. In some embodiments, thesupport surface comprises stainless steel. In some embodiments, most ofthe support element between the support surface and the heater isstainless steel. The portion of the support element between the slideand the heater can have a thermal conductivity equal to or less thanabout 20 W/m*K.

In some embodiments, a method for heating a biological specimen carriedon a slide includes positioning a slide on a support element of aconductive slide heating apparatus such that a back side surface of theslide faces the support element and a specimen-bearing surface of theslide faces away from the support element. Heat can be deliverednon-uniformly across the back side surface of the slide via the supportelement to substantially compensate for evaporative heat lossesassociated with evaporation of a liquid on the specimen-bearing surface.The evaporative heat losses are non-uniform across the specimen-bearingsurface of the slide.

A non-uniform temperature profile, in some embodiments, can be producedalong a support surface of the support element contacting the back sidesurface of the slide such that the specimen-bearing surface has atemperature profile that is more uniform than the non-uniformtemperature profile. In some embodiments, a temperature variation (e.g.,a temperature variation maintained across a portion of thespecimen-bearing surface contacting a biological specimen) can be equalto or less than about 5° temperature variation while a support surfaceof the support element contacting the back side surface of the slide hasmore than a 5° temperature variation.

A support surface of the support element can contact the back sidesurface of the slide and can be heated to produce a low heating zone ata central region of the support surface and a high heating zone at aregion of the support surface surrounding the central region.Additionally or alternatively, the support surface can be heated toproduce the high heating zone along a perimeter of a staining area alongthe specimen-bearing surface and a low heating zone at a central regionof the staining area.

The slide can be conductively heated using thermal energy produced by aheating element of the conductive slide heating apparatus. The heatingelement includes at least two spaced apart elongate heating portions andtwo end heating portions extending between the elongate heatingportions. The elongate heating portions and the end heating portionsdefine a convection cooling pocket for cooling the support element.

In some embodiments, a system for heating a specimen-bearing slideincluding a slide platen including a support element, a conductiveheater, and a controller. The support element has a support surface. Theconductive heater is positioned to heat the support element. Thecontroller is programmed to control the system to produce a non-uniformheating profile along the support element so as to transfer thermalenergy to a slide to produce a substantially uniform temperature profilealong a specimen-bearing area of a specimen-bearing surface of the slidewhen a back side of the slide contacts the support surface.

The conductive heater, in some embodiments, is configured to heat thesupport element to produce the non-uniform temperature heating profileacross most of the support surface supporting the slide such that thesubstantially uniform temperature heating profile is produced along mostof the specimen-bearing surface of the slide. The substantially uniformtemperature profile has less than a 5° temperature variation across thespecimen-bearing area of the slide. Additionally or alternatively, theconductive heater can be configured to produce a central low temperatureheating zone along the support element and a peripheral high temperatureheating zone along the support element. Additionally or alternatively,the conductive heater is positioned underneath the support element anddefines an opening through which a convective flow is capable of passingto cool the support element.

The system for heating a specimen-bearing slide, in some embodiments,includes a convection cooling device coupled to the controller andconfigured to deliver a convective flow into the opening based on asignal from the controller. In certain embodiments, the convectioncooling device includes at least one fan capable of producing theconvective flow. In some embodiments, compressed air or motive air canbe used.

The support element, in some embodiments, comprises stainless steel. Insome embodiments, a portion of the support element between the supportsurface for carrying the slide and the conductive heater has a thermalconductivity equal to or less than about 20 W/m*K.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments are described with referenceto the following drawings. The same reference numerals refer to likeparts or acts throughout the various views, unless otherwise specified.

FIG. 1 is a side view of an opposable actuator holding an opposable inaccordance with an embodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a specimen processing station ready toprocess a specimen on a slide in accordance with an embodiment of thedisclosed technology.

FIG. 3A is a front, top, left side isometric view of a slide holderplaten holding a slide in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosedtechnology.

FIG. 3B is a front, top, left side isometric view of the slide holderplaten of FIG. 3A ready to hold a slide in accordance with an embodimentof the disclosed technology.

FIG. 4 is a front, bottom, left side isometric view of the slide holderplaten of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the slide holder platen of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional isometric view of the slide holder platentaken along a line 6A-6A of FIG. 5.

FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the slide holder platen taken alonga line 6B-6B of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a specimen processing station holding aspecimen-bearing slide in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosedtechnology.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the specimen processingstation taken along a line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the specimen processingstation taken along a line 9-9 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a slide holder platen taken along aline 10-10 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10A is a plot of location along a contact surface of a slidesupport versus thermal energy conducted to a slide in accordance with anembodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 10B is a plot of location along the contact surface of the slidesupport versus temperature of the contact surface in accordance with anembodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 10C is a plot of location along an upper surface of a slide versustemperature of the upper surface of the slide in accordance with anembodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of heating zones produced on a slide supportsurface of the support element in accordance with an embodiment of thedisclosed technology.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating a method for heating a slide inaccordance with an embodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 13 illustrates a slide holder platen and a dispenser assembly inaccordance with an embodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 14 is a plot of equilibrium volume of a liquid on a slide versustotal evaporation rate of the liquid in accordance with an embodiment ofthe disclosed technology.

FIG. 15 is a plot of time versus liquid coverage in accordance with anembodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIGS. 16A and 16B are side and top views of a narrowed band of liquid atan end of a gap between an opposable and a slide.

FIGS. 17A and 17B are side and top views of the spread band of liquid.

FIGS. 18A and 18B are side and top views of the band of liquidcontacting a biological specimen.

FIGS. 19A and 19B are side and top views of the band of liquid betweenthe opposable and a region of the slide adjacent to a label.

FIGS. 20A and 20B are side and top views of the narrowed band of liquidat an end of a gap adjacent to a label of the slide.

FIG. 21 is an isometric view of an opposable in accordance with oneembodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 22 is a top plan view of the opposable of FIG. 21.

FIG. 23 is a side elevational view of the opposable of FIG. 21.

FIG. 24 is a detailed view of a portion of the opposable of FIG. 23.

FIG. 25 is a plan view of a specimen-bearing slide illustrating anexample of stain non-uniformity.

FIG. 26 is a plan view of a specimen-bearing slide illustrating anotherexample of stain non-uniformity.

FIG. 27 is a plot of average real-time reactant concentration on thex-axis versus reaction rate on the y-axis for one example of aspecimen-processing reaction during a processing period.

FIG. 28 is an isometric view of an opposable in accordance with anembodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 29 is a top plan view of the opposable of FIG. 28.

FIG. 30 is a side elevational view of the opposable of FIG. 28.

FIG. 31 is a detailed view of a portion of the opposable of FIG. 30.

FIG. 32 is a plan view of a slide suitable for use with the opposable ofFIG. 28.

FIG. 33 is a partially schematic side elevational view of aspecimen-processing assembly including the opposable of FIG. 28 andloaded with the slide of FIG. 32 in accordance with an embodiment of thedisclosed technology.

FIG. 34A is a side elevational view of the opposable of FIG. 28 and theslide of FIG. 32 in a first end state.

FIG. 34B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 34B-34B in FIG. 34A.

FIG. 34C is an enlarged view of a fluid-carrying gap of FIG. 34B withexaggerated slope.

FIG. 35A is a side elevational view of the opposable of FIG. 28 and theslide of FIG. 32 in an intermediate state.

FIG. 35B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 35B-35B in FIG. 35A.

FIG. 35C is an enlarged view of a fluid-carrying gap of FIG. 35B.

FIG. 36A is a side elevational view of the opposable of FIG. 28 and theslide of FIG. 32 in a second end state.

FIG. 36B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 36B-36B in FIG. 36A.

FIG. 36C is an enlarged view of a fluid-carrying gap of FIG. 36B withexaggerated slope.

FIG. 37 is a plan view of a specimen-bearing slide illustrating anexample of relatively uniform staining in accordance with an embodimentof the disclosed technology.

FIG. 38 is a plan view of a specimen-bearing slide illustrating anotherexample of relatively uniform staining in accordance with an embodimentof the disclosed technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF TECHNOLOGY

FIG. 1 shows an opposable actuator 525 that includes an opposablereceiver 480 and a drive mechanism 530. The opposable receiver 480 holdsan opposable 470 that can be used to manipulate and direct a series ofliquids to a specimen. The opposable receiver 480 can include a clamp536 and a main body 540. The clamp 536 includes a pair of jaws 542A,542B that cooperate to hold a mounting end 950 of the opposable 470. Theopposable 470 includes a main body 541 extending to a captivating end543. The main body 541 is pivotally coupled to the drive mechanism 530by a pivot 550. The drive mechanism 530 can include a linkage assembly560 and a linear actuator assembly 562. The linkage assembly 560includes the pivot 550, which allows rotation about one or more axes ofrotation (e.g., two axes of rotation) and can include one or more rollerball bearings, pivots, hinges, or other features that provide desiredmotion. The linear actuator assembly 562 can include an energizabledrive device 570 (e.g., a stepper motor, a drive motor, a solenoid,etc.), a moveable element 572 (e.g., a lead screw, a drive rod, etc.),and a rail assembly 574 (e.g., a carriage/rail assembly, a caged ballbearing linear rail assembly, etc.).

The opposable receiver 480 can be actuated by the linear actuatorassembly 562 via the linkage assembly 560. The linear actuator assembly562 can retract, and stationary cam(s) (e.g., cam 575 of FIG. 2) canengage, pins 576, 578 and drive the opposable receiver 480 to an openconfiguration. In some embodiments, including the illustrated embodimentof FIG. 1, the opposable receiver 480 in the open configuration canloosely hold the opposable 470. The opposable receiver 480 can be movedto a closed configuration by one or more biasing members (e.g., springs,pneumatic actuators, etc.). As the linear actuator assembly 562 extends,the pins 576, 578 can move upwardly and towards one another such thatthe biasing members close the opposable receiver 480.

The opposable actuator 525 can also include, without limitation, one ormore sensors to detect the presence of the opposable 470, the positionof the opposable 470, one or more characteristics of a processing liquidcovered by the opposable 470, or the like. The sensors can include,without limitation, contact sensors, electromechanical sensors, opticalsensors, or chemical sensors that can be coupled to or incorporated intothe opposable receiver 480 or other suitable component. The number,positions, and configurations of the sensors can be selected to achievethe desired monitoring functionality.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a wetting module 430 holding a slide 243in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology. The wettingmodule 430 includes the opposable actuator 525, a slide holder platen601, and a manifold assembly 606. The opposable actuator 525 in arolling state of operation can be extended or retracted to roll theopposable 470 back and forth along the slide 243. The motion of therotary joints of the linkage assembly 560 (FIG. 1), gravity, and/orliquid capillary forces can help maintain the desired motion of theopposable 470. In some embodiments, the opposable actuator 525 cancontinuously or periodically roll (e.g., longitudinally roll, laterallyroll, or both) the opposable 470 to agitate the volume of liquid, move(e.g., translate, spread, narrow, etc.) a band of liquid (e.g., ameniscus layer of liquid), control evaporation (e.g., to moderateevaporation), and/or otherwise manage the processing liquid.

The manifold assembly 606 includes a pair of sensors 620 a, 620 b(collectively “620”) and a one or more valves 630. The sensors 620 candetect the pressures of working fluids and can send one or more signalsindicative of detected pressures. A fluid line 638 can fluidicallycouple a pressurization source 640 to a manifold 641. Fluid lines 642,644 fluidically couple the manifold 641 to a liquid removal device 655and the slide holder platen 601. The liquid removal device 655 canremove liquid between the opposable 470 and the slide 243 via a wasteport 643. The line 644 can be used to draw a vacuum to hold the slide243 on the slide holder platen 601.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are isometric views of the slide holder platen 601 inaccordance with an embodiment of the present technology. The slideholder platen 601 of FIG. 3A supports the slide 243. The slide holderplaten 601 of FIG. 3B is empty. The slide holder platen 601 can includea support element 650 and a mounting base 651. The support element 650includes a raised slide receiving region 680 having a contact or contactsurface 679 (FIG. 3B). A port 683 (FIG. 3B) is positioned to draw avacuum to hold the slide 243 against the contact surface 679. The port683 can be a suction cup or other feature configured to facilitatedrawing a strong vacuum between the slide 243 against the contactsurface 679.

The support element 650 includes inner walls 681 positioned in outerwalls 652 of the mounting base 651. The inner and outer walls 681, 652form heatable sidewalls 682. In some embodiments, the sidewalls 682 canbe positioned on both sides of the contact surface 679 and can outputheat energy to the surrounding air to control the temperature of theslide 243, processing fluid, and/or specimen(s). In some embodiments,the sidewalls 682 can also be positioned to laterally surround theentire slide 243. The mounting base 651 can be made of an insulatingmaterial (e.g., plastic, rubber, polymers, or the like) that caninsulate the support element 650 from other components. In someembodiments, the mounting base 651 is made of a material with a thermalconductivity that is substantially less than the thermal conductivity ofthe material of the support element 650. The mounting base 651 cansurround and protect the support element 650 and includes a couplingregion 657 to which the opposable actuator 525 can be coupled.

The support element 650 can be an uncoated element comprising one ormore low heat transfer material(s) with a low thermal conductivity. Lowheat transfer materials can include, without limitation, steel,stainless steel, or other materials with a thermal conductivity in arange of about 10 W/(m*K) at 25° C. to about 25 W/(m*K) at 25° C. In oneembodiment, the low heat transfer material comprises stainless steelwith a thermal conductivity of 16 W/(m*K) at 25° C. In some embodiments,the support element 650 comprises mostly stainless steel by weight. Incertain embodiments, at least most of the material of the supportelement 650 directly between a heating element 653 (FIG. 4) and theslide 243 comprises stainless steel by weight. The stainless steelsupport element 650 can be corrosion-resistant to the liquids used toprocess the specimens to provide a relatively long working life. In someembodiments, support element 650 comprises antimony (k=18.5 W/(m*K) at25° C.) or chrome nickel steel (e.g., 18% Cr and 8% Ni by weight andwith a thermal conductivity of about 16.3 W/(m*K) at 25° C.). In otherembodiments, the support element 650 can comprise lead with a thermalconductivity of about 35 W/(m*K) at 25° C.) or other metal with asimilar thermal conductivity. In some embodiments, the support element650 can be made of a material with thermal conductivity less than copperor brass. The mounting base 651 can be made of an insulating materialwith a thermal conductivity that is less than the thermal conductivityof the support element 650. As such, the mounting base 651 can thermallyinsulate the support element 650.

FIG. 4 is a front, bottom, left side view of the slide holder platen601. FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the slide holder platen 601. The slideholder platen 601 can include the heating element 653, which can convertelectrical energy to thermal energy and can include, without limitation,one or more traces, leads, resistive elements (e.g., active elementsthat produce thermal energy), fuses, or the like. In some embodiments,the heating element 653 can be a resistive heater. Other types ofheaters can also be used, if needed or desired. In some embodiments, theheating element 653 can output thermal energy to the support element 650to achieve a desired heat transfer pattern. Heat can be transferrednon-uniformly to the slide 243 via the support element 650 to compensatefor evaporative heat losses. Non-uniform heat transfer along the contactsurface 679 may produce a non-uniform temperature profile along thecontact surface 679. A generally uniform temperature profile can beproduced across a processing zone 671 (FIG. 3A) of slide 243. Theprocessing zone 671 can be a staining region, a mounting region, or areaof an upper or specimen-bearing surface 687 (FIG. 3A) of the slide 243suitable for carrying one or more specimen(s).

The heating element 653 of FIG. 5 can include two elongate slide heatingportions 660 a, 660 b (collectively 660) and two end heating portions665 a, 665 b (collectively “665”). The elongate portions 660 deliverthermal energy to the longitudinally extending edge portions of theslide 243. The end heating portions 665 deliver thermal energy to theends of the processing zone 671. The elongate portions 660 and the endheating portions 665 can be coupled together to form a multi-pieceheating element 653. The elongate portions 660 and the end heatingportions 665 can be made of materials with the same conductivity ordifferent thermal conductivities. Each portion 660, 665 can beindependently operated to output different amounts of thermal energy. Inother embodiments, the heating element 653 can have a one-piececonstruction with a uniform thickness or a variable thickness. Theone-piece heating element 653 can be made of one material.

The elongate portions 660 and end heating portions 665 together define aconvection cooling feature in the form of a pocket 670. The pocket 670can help isolate heat in the support element 650 to help keep thermalenergy at the location it is applied and can also help reduce or limitthe thermal mass of the slide holder platen 601. The pocket 670 can bean opening with a substantially rectangular shape, as shown in FIG. 5.However, the pocket 670 can have other shapes based on the desired heatdistribution along the contact surface 679 of the support element 650.

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional isometric view of the slide holder platen601. The support element 650 includes the receiving region 680,sidewalls 682, and a channel 684. The receiving region 680 keeps theslide 243 spaced apart from fluids that can collect in the channel 684during operation. The channel 684 can collect liquid that falls fromedges 813, 815 of the slide 243. In some embodiments, the slide 243 canextend outwardly from the receiving region 680 a sufficient distance(e.g., 0.5 mm, 0.75 mm, 1 mm, 2 mm, 4 mm, or 6 mm) to prevent liquidfrom wicking between the slide 243 and the contact surface 679.

The slide holder platen 601 can be made in a multi-step manufacturingprocess. The support element 650 can be formed by a machining process,stamping process, or the like. The support element 650 can beover-molded to form the mounting base 651, which can be made of aninsulating material molded using an injection molding process,compressing molding processes, or other suitable manufacturingprocesses. Exemplary non-limiting insulating materials include, withoutlimitation, plastics, polymers, ceramics, or the like. The supportelement 650 and mounting base 651 can remain securely coupled togetherto inhibit or prevent liquids from traveling between the support element650 and mounting base 651. For example, the interface between thesupporting element 650 and the mounting base 651 can form a fluid-tightseal with or without utilizing any sealants. However, sealants,adhesives, and/or fasteners can be used to securely couple the supportelement 650 to the mounting base 651. The illustrated support element650 includes locking features 690, 692 to help minimize, limit, orsubstantially prevent movement of the support element 650 relative tothe mounting base 651.

FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the slide holder platen 601. Theopposable 470 engages a liquid 802 which engages a specimen 807. Thesidewalls 682 can extend vertically above the slide 243. The distancethat the sidewalls 682 extend vertically past the slide 243 can beselected to manage (e.g., limit, minimize, substantially prevent, etc.)air currents that can cause heat losses via convection (e.g., convectionvia the surrounding air), evaporation, or the like. For example, theslide holder platen 601 and opposable 470 can moderate evaporation bykeeping the evaporation rate of the liquid 802 at or below about 7microliters per minute, 5 microliters per minute, 3 microliters perminute or other maximum evaporation rates. In some embodiments, theslide holder platen 601 and opposable 470 can keep the evaporation rateof the liquid 802 within a range of about 7 microliters per minute toabout 1 microliters per minute. Such embodiments can moderateevaporative losses. The sidewalls 682 and the opposable 470 can alsocooperate to help thermally isolate the fluid 802 from the surroundingenvironment.

A side portion 811 of the opposable 470 extends outwardly past the edge813 of the slide 243 such that the side portion 811 is closer to thesidewall 682 than the edge 813 of the slide 243. A width W_(G1) of a gap819 can be smaller than a distance D₁ from the side portion 811 to theslide edge 813. A side portion 812 of the opposable 470 extendsoutwardly past the edge 815. A width W_(G2) of a gap 817 can be smallerthan a distance D₂ from the side portion 812 to the slide edge 815. Insome embodiments, width W_(G1) can be equal to or less than about 10%,25%, or 50% of a distance between the left sidewall 682 and the edge813. Similarly, width W_(G2) can be equal to or less than about 10%,25%, or 50% of a distance between the right sidewall 682 and the slideedge 815. The widths W_(G1), W_(G2) can be sufficiently small to inhibitor limit evaporative losses while allowing slight side-to-side movementof the opposable 470 to facilitate convenient handling. In someembodiments, the widths W_(G1), W_(G2) are equal to or less than about 1mm, 2 mm, 4 mm, or other suitable widths.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the wetting module 430. FIG. 8 is across-sectional view of a portion of the wetting module 430 taken alonga line 8-8 of FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a portion ofthe wetting module 430 taken along a line 9-9 of FIG. 7. Referring toFIGS. 7 and 8, a sensor 694 is positioned to detect liquid in areservoir 697. The sensor 694 can include a thermistor element 695positioned near a bottom 696 of the reservoir 697. When a sufficientvolume of liquid is collected to contact the thermistor element 695, thesensor 694 sends a signal to another component, such as a controller.The detection of a threshold volume of liquid in the reservoir 697 canindicate a failure in the wetting module 430. Upon detection of afailure, the wetting module 430 can be disabled until the wetting module430 can be, for example, inspected, cleaned, or otherwise maintained.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, the wetting module 430 includes a convectionsystem 700 that includes a flow generator 710, a duct 711, and a flowpath 712 (illustrated in phantom line) defined by a passageway 713 ofthe duct 711. The flow generator 710 can include, without limitation,one or more fans, blowers, or other suitable components capable ofgenerating a sufficient flow of a convection fluid (e.g., air, arefrigerant, etc.) along the flow path 712 to cool the back side of thesupport element 650, the slide 243, and/or items (e.g., specimens,reagents, or the like) carried on the slide 243.

The flow generator 710 can deliver the convection fluid towards an end730 of the support element 650 located under a first end 732 of theslide 243. The convection fluid can travel vertically through a taperedsection 720 that can accelerate the flow of convection fluid. Theaccelerated flow is directed horizontally and flows under the slideplaten 601. The convection fluid can directly contact the supportelement 650 to facilitate and expedite cooling of the slide 243. Forexample, the convection fluid can flow into and along the pocket 670 toabsorb thermal energy from the support element 650. The support element650 absorbs thermal energy from the slide 243 to cool the upper surface687 and to ultimately cool a liquid, specimen(s), or any other items orsubstances on the upper surface 687. The warmed fluid flows past thepocket 670 and proceeds under an end 750 of the support element 650positioned underneath a label end 752 of the slide 243. The air flowsdownwardly through an outlet 760 to the surrounding environment.

The convection system 700 can be used to rapidly cool the slide 243. Forexample, the convection system 700 can help cool the liquid and/orspecimen at a rate equal to or greater than about 2.5° C./sec. In oneembodiment, the temperature of a specimen can be at about 95° C. and canbe cooled to a temperature equal to or less than about 30° C. in aboutfour minutes or less. Other cooling rates can be achieved by increasingor decreasing the flow rate of the convection fluid, temperature of theconvection fluid, or the like. During a heating cycle, the conventionsystem 700 can be OFF, if desired.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the slide holderplaten 601 taken along a line 10-10 of FIG. 7. The temperature of theliquid 802 can be maintained within a target temperature range selectedbased on the characteristics of the liquid 802, characteristics of aspecimen (e.g., a thickness of the specimen, composition of thespecimen, etc.), and the process to be performed. Because the regions ofthe liquid 802 nearest the edges of the slide 243 evaporate more thanthe central region of the liquid 802, the periphery of the slide 243 andthe periphery of the liquid 802 tend to be at a lower temperaturewithout compensation. The evaporative heat losses for high temperatureprocesses (e.g., antigen retrieval) may be greater than the evaporativelosses for low temperature processes (e.g., rinsing). Becausesignificant temperature variations along the specimen 807 and/or theliquid 802 can lead to variations in processing, the wetting module 430can maintain a desired temperature profile of the slide 243 bycompensating for evaporative heat losses, including evaporative heatlosses in high temperature and low temperature processes. The wettingmodule 430 can produce a substantially uniform temperature profile alongthe surface 687 to substantially uniformly heat the band of liquid 802and/or the specimen 807. The uniform temperature profile can bemaintained independently of changes in the surrounding environment toconsistently process the entire specimen 807.

FIG. 10A is a plot of the location along the width of the receivingregion 680 versus thermal energy conducted to the slide 243. FIG. 10B isa plot of the location along the width of the receiving region 680versus a temperature of the contact surface 679 of the support element650. FIG. 10C is a plot of a location along the upper surface 687 of theslide 243. A comparison of FIGS. 10B and 10C shows that the temperatureprofile along the contact surface 679 of the support element 650 isdifferent from the temperature profile along the upper surface 687 ofthe slide 243.

Referring to FIG. 10A, the heating element 653 can non-uniformlytransfer heat energy via conduction to the slide 243. The heat remainsconcentrated at the perimeter of the staining region where evaporativeheat losses are relatively high. Because no heat energy is directlytransferred via conduction to the portion of the support element 650above the pocket 670, a non-uniform temperature profile is producedalong the contact surface 679 of the support element 650 and cancompensate for non-uniform heat losses associated with evaporation ofthe liquid 802. The compensation can produce a substantially uniformtemperature profile along the upper slide surface 687. As shown in FIG.10C, a temperature along the upper slide surface 687 can be kept withina target temperature range (represented by two horizontal dashed lines).In an embodiment for antigen retrieval, the substantially uniformtemperature profile can have a temperature variation that is equal to orless than 5% of the desired temperature and can be across most of theupper slide surface 687. The upper slide surface 687 can be kept at, forexample, an average temperature or target temperature of about 95° C.and within a range of about 90.25° C. and about 99.75° C. In someembodiments, the heater element 653 produces less than about a 4%temperature variation across most of the upper slide surface 687. Inother embodiments, there can be less than 5% temperature variationacross most of the upper slide surface 687. The upper slide surface 687can be kept at, for example, an average temperature of about 95° C. andwithin a range of about 92.63° C. and about 97.38° C. In someembodiments, an allowable temperature variation can be inputted by auser.

FIG. 11 is a top view of heating zones in accordance with an embodimentof the present technology. A high heating zone 820 surrounds anintermediate heating zone 824. The intermediate heating zone 824surrounds a low heating zone 822. Heat from the heating element 653primarily travels upwardly to define the high heating zone 820. The highheating zone 820 can be located underneath a perimeter of a stainingarea of the slide 243. The low heating zone 822 can generally correspondto the pocket 670 and the central processing area (e.g., a stainingarea) where one or more specimens are typically positioned. Thetemperature of the heating zones 820, 822, 824 can be generallyinversely proportional to the rates of evaporation along the slidedirectly above that heating zone. For example, the low heating zone 822can be positioned generally below the middle of the band of liquid 802in which there is substantially no evaporative losses. The high heatingzone 820 is positioned generally below the periphery of the band ofliquid 802 that experiences relatively high evaporative losses.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating a method 900 for heating the slidein accordance with an embodiment of the present technology. At 901, thespecimen-bearing slide 243 (FIG. 3A) can be positioned on the contactsurface 679 of the support element 650 (FIG. 3B). The slide 243 can bepreheated by the slide holder platen 601. A liquid can be delivered ontothe heated slide 243. Alternatively, the slide holder platen 601 canheat the slide 243 after delivering the liquid.

At 902, the opposable 470 is used to manipulate the liquid and canmitigate and control evaporation, which in turn can affect temperature,concentration, and capillary volume. In some embodiments, the liquid isallowed to evaporate, resulting in heat losses and, in some embodiments,changes in concentration of the liquid 802. A dispenser can deliversupplemental liquid at desired times to keep the volume of the liquid ina desired range, maintain a desired concentration of the liquid, or thelike. If the current volume of the liquid is lower than the targetequilibrium volume, the controller can instruct the dispenser to deliverliquid until the current volume of the liquid reaches the equilibriumvolume. If the current volume of the liquid is higher than the targetequilibrium volume, the controller can instruct the dispenser to stopdelivering liquid until the current volume of the liquid reaches theequilibrium volume. Once the liquid reaches the target equilibriumvolume, the controller can instruct the dispenser to provide thesupplemental fluid to the liquid at a desired rate (e.g., a fixed rateor a variable rate), so as to maintain the liquid at the equilibriumvolume. The delivery rate can be selected based on the evaporation rateof the liquid.

At 903, the contact surface 679 can have a non-uniform temperatureprofile such that the upper surface 687 of the slide 243 has atemperature profile that is more uniform than the non-uniform profile ofthe contact surface 679. Substantially the entire mounting area of theslide 243 can have a substantially uniform profile. This ensures thatany portion of a specimen contacting the mounting surface is maintainedat a generally uniform temperature for consistent processing. Even ifspecimens move slightly along the mounting surface, the specimens can beconsistently processed.

At 904, heat losses associated with evaporation of the liquid 802 can becompensated for by producing the non-uniform temperature profile alongthe contact surface 679. The support element 650 and the heatingsidewalls 682 can be used to control the temperature of the slide 243.

Fluid manipulated repeatedly across the staining surface results influid mixing between different regions within the body of fluid incontact with the slide surface in the sense of both mass as well asthermal energy mixing. Temperature uniformity control across the surfaceof the slide, therefore, is influenced by the interaction of 1) theconducting heating element under the slide, 2) thermal mixing resultingfrom fluid manipulation, and 3) evaporative heat loss with respect tothe ambient environment. Fluid manipulation is controlled by suchfactors as manipulation speed and distance with respect to specifiedvolumes. The thermal profile of the conducting element under the slidetherefore must be designed appropriately for optimal on-slidetemperature uniformity with respect to fluid manipulation factors.

FIG. 13 shows the slide holder platen 601, a dispenser assembly 633, anda controller 144 of an evaporation moderated specimen process station.The dispenser assembly 633 includes a fluid source 621 fluidicallycoupled to a dispenser 622 via a fluid line 623. The fluid source 621can include, without limitation, one or more containers (e.g., acontainer taken from a parking or holding station, a container takenfrom a parking or holding station, etc.), reservoirs, or other suitablefluid sources (e.g., a bulk reagent reservoir) and can include one morevalves, pumps, or the like. The dispenser 622 can output liquid via anarray of conduits 625. In some embodiments, including the illustratedembodiment of FIG. 13, the dispenser 622 includes eight conduits 625,but any number of conduits can be used. Additionally, the dispenserassembly 633 can include more than one dispenser depending on the designof the slide holder platen 601. Additionally or alternatively,dispensers can deliver liquid onto the slides and can be fluidly coupledto the fluid source 621 or another fluid source. The opposable 470 canbe positioned to allow one or both of the dispensers 160, 162 to delivera liquid onto the slide. In some embodiments, the dispenser 622 deliversa bulk liquid from the containers at the parking station 142 and thedispensers 160, 162 deliver liquid from containers at the parkingstation 140.

The controller 144 is capable of controlling an array of specimenprocessing stations to keep a volume of a processing liquid within anequilibrium volume range. If the volume of the liquid is above theequilibrium volume range, the liquid can evaporate at a relatively highrate and may significantly change the concentration of the liquid. Ifthe volume of the liquid is below the equilibrium volume range, theremay be an insufficient volume of liquid to adequately process thespecimen. Additionally, an insufficient volume of liquid can result inan undesirably low amount of liquid agitation during processing. Theequilibrium volume range can be selected based on the composition of theliquid, desired processing temperature, or desired agitation of theliquid 802. An equilibrium volume of the liquid 802 can correspond to afluid volume (at a certain temperature or range of temperatures) thatprovides full coverage of the specimen while keeping evaporative lossesbelow a target level. The dispenser 622 can function as a replenishmentdevice that periodically supplements the liquid at a fixed rate (e.g., arate based on the evaporation rate) to keep the volume of the liquidwithin the equilibrium volume range, replenish depleted reagent, or thelike.

With the target processing temperature or target processing temperaturerange and a total evaporation rate, the controller 144 can determine atarget range of equilibrium volumes. In some embodiments, the controller144 can receive the total evaporation rate information from a memory 629and/or an input device 628. The input device 628 can include a dataserver or other similar device that can provide information from adatabase upon request or periodically. The total evaporation rateinformation can be obtained from an empirical study and stored in thedatabase. In other embodiments, the input device 628 can be a readerthat obtains information (e.g., a target processing temperature, atarget processing temperature range, replenishing rate, etc.) from alabel of a slide.

The controller 144 can receive information (e.g., look-up tables,temperature set points, duty cycles, power settings, environmentalinformation such as ambient temperatures and/or humidity, processingprotocols, etc.) from the memory 629. The input device 628 can be amanual input device (e.g., a keyboard, a touch screen, or the like) oran automated input device (e.g., a computer, a data storage device,servers, network, etc.) that can provide information automatically uponrequest from the controller 144. The memory 629 can store differentinstructions for different processes. One stored sequence of programinstructions can be used to contact the specimen 807 with a wash andanother sequence of program instructions can be used to apply a reagent(e.g., a stain) to the specimen. The controller 144 can include aprogrammable processor 631 that executes the sequence of programinstructions in order to sequentially process the specimen with the washand reagent. The slide holder platen 601 can heat the slide to a firsttarget temperature when executing the first sequence of programinstructions and can cool the slide to a second target temperature whenexecuting the second sequence of program instructions. Any number ofsequences of program instructions can be executed to perform differentstages of a protocol.

The controller 144 can also be programmed to control the wetting module430 such that the dispenser 622 delivers the supplemental liquid ontothe slide. The rate of fluid delivery can be based on, for example,processing information (e.g., protocol, agitation information,processing time(s), etc.), total evaporation rate information (e.g.,evaporation rates under certain conditions, the actual evaporation ratefor a certain type of liquid, etc.), or the like. The current volume ofthe liquid can be determined based on an initial volume of liquid on theslide and stored evaporation rate(s). The stored evaporation rates canbe input into the system 100 or determined by the system 100. Thecontroller 144 can calculate the equilibrium volume in advance (e.g., apilot run), and the system 100 can use the determined equilibrium volumeas the initial volume for the same kind of liquids. Then the controller144 can instruct the dispenser 622 to provide the supplemental liquid ata rate (e.g., a rate determined by the pilot run). The rollingdirection, the rolling speed, and the rolling frequency can be adjusteddepending on the type of liquids. The rolling speed can have a directimpact on the total evaporation rate. A faster rolling speed can lead tohigher evaporation rates. When collecting empirical total evaporationvolume information to generate protocols, this can be a factor that isconsidered.

A power source 627 of the controller 144 can be electrically coupled toa heating element (e.g., heating element 653 of FIGS. 6A and 6B). Thepower source 627 can be one or more batteries, fuel cells, or the like.The power source 627 can also deliver electrical energy to othercomponents of the system. In other embodiments, the power source 627 canbe an AC power supply.

FIG. 14 is a plot of equilibrium volume versus total evaporation rate ofa processing liquid in accordance with an embodiment of the presenttechnology. The x-axis represents the equilibrium volume (EV, unit: μL),and the y-axis represents the total evaporation rate (TER, unit: μL/s).Lines T1 and T2 represent the relationships between the TER and the EVat temperature T1 and temperature T2, respectively. In the illustratedembodiment, T1 is higher than T2. The controller 144 can receive thetotal evaporation rate information from the memory 629, the input device628, or the like. The total evaporation rate information can be measuredand stored in the memory 629. The total evaporation rate information caninclude evaporation rates for liquids at different concentrations. Afterthe controller 144 receives the predetermined temperature (e.g., T1) andthe total evaporation rate information (e.g., “A” μL/s), the controller144 can determine the EV value (e.g., “B” μL) of the liquid based on thegraph of FIG. 14. Equation 1 corresponds to the relationships describedin FIG. 14. The slope of the lines T1 and T2 represent thetemperature-dependent evaporation constant (K) below.

TER=K×EV  Equation 1

Once the equilibrium volume of the liquid is determined, the controller144 can compare it with an estimated volume of the slide and caninstruct the dispenser 622 to supply supplemental fluid if needed. Ifthe current volume of the liquid is lower than the target equilibriumvolume, the controller 144 can instruct the dispenser 622 to providemore supplemental liquid.

FIG. 15 is a plot of time versus coverage of a slide in accordance withan embodiment of the disclosed technology. FIGS. 16A-20B illustrate onemethod of achieving the coverage depicted in FIG. 15 by moving theliquid 802 along the entire staining area 671 (excluding a label 907 andsome margin, if desired) to provide full coverage by being alternatinglymoved between opposing ends 732, 735 of the mounting area 671. The fullcoverage can help minimize, limit, or substantially prevent problemsassociated with under-wetting and over-wetting. In under-wetting, theliquid 802 contacts less than the entire staining area 671 such that thespecimen 807 may be at risk of not being contacted and thus not beingtreated/stained. In over-wetting, the liquid 802 contacts more than theentire staining area 671 and may tend to drain from the slide 243. Theliquid 802 may be at risk of ineffective liquid removal in subsequentprocesses, resulting in reagent carryover and associated stain qualitydegradation. If the liquid 802 is a stain, the entire specimen 807 iscontacted for consistent (e.g., uniform) staining. If the liquid 802 isa wash, full coverage ensures that the entire specimen 807 is thoroughlywashed, especially after a reagent treatment. Different stages of themethod are discussed in detail below.

FIGS. 16A and 16B are side and top views of the band of liquid 802between the opposable 810 held by the opposable actuator (not shown) andthe mounting area end 732 at time 0 in FIG. 15. The opposable 810 andslide 243 form a band of liquid 802 (e.g., a meniscus layer, a thinfilm, or the like). The band of liquid 802 of FIG. 16B is shown inphantom line. A gap 930 (e.g., a capillary gap) can have a minimumholding capacity of about 30 microliters to about 350 microliters. Otherminimum and maximum holding capacities are possible, if needed ordesired and are dependent upon the gap height, opposable radius, fluidproperties, and movement speed. The minimum holding capacity can be thesmallest volume of liquid that can be contained in the gap 930 andeffectively applied to the specimen 807, which may be located anywhereon the staining area 671. The maximum holding capacity is the largestvolume of liquid that can be contained in the gap 930 without loss offluid control, e.g., spilling of fluid over the side edge or outside ofthe fluid target areas. The varying height gap 930 can accommodate awider range of liquid volumes than a uniform height gap because thenarrowed region of the gap 930 can accommodate a small liquid volume.

The opposable 810 is rolled along the slide 243 to displace the band ofliquid 802 (indicated by an arrow 961) in the direction of alongitudinal axis 951 of the slide 243. In FIGS. 17A and 17B, the bandof liquid 802 has been spread by moving a side 958 of the band of liquid802 in the direction of the longitudinal axis 951 (corresponding to 0.25seconds in FIG. 15). A side 956 of the band of liquid 802 can remain atan edge 960 of the slide 243. In some embodiments, the band of liquid802 can be spread from a narrowed width W_(N1) (FIG. 16B) to a spreadwidth W_(S). The widths W_(N1), W_(S) can be substantially parallel tothe longitudinal axis 951 of the slide 243, and the length L of the bandof liquid 802 can be substantially perpendicular to the longitudinalaxis 951.

FIGS. 18A and 18B show the band of liquid 802 after it has moved alongthe slide 243, corresponding to 0.5 second in FIG. 15. The band ofliquid 802 is displaced using capillary action. Capillary action caninclude, without limitation, movement of the band of liquid 802 due tothe phenomenon of the liquid spontaneously creeping through the gap 930due to adhesive forces, cohesive forces, and/or surface tension. In someembodiments, the width W_(S) can be generally maintained whiledisplacing the band of liquid 802. In other embodiments, the width W_(S)may be increased or decreased less than 5% while moving the band ofliquid 802. In some embodiments, the opposable 810 can have anon-uniform curvature or configuration to have a variable width W_(S) asthe band moves across the slide.

FIGS. 19A and 19B show the band of liquid 802 positioned at the end 735,corresponding to 0.75 second in FIG. 15. The side 958 of the band ofliquid 802 can be captivated between an end 952 of the opposable 810 andthe end 735 of the mounting area 671. The label 907 can help captivatethe liquid 802. For example, the label 907 can be made, in whole or inpart, of a hydrophobic material. As the opposable 810 moves to anover-rolled position of FIG. 20A, the width Ws of the band of liquid 802can be decreased to a narrowed width W_(N2), corresponding to 1 secondin FIG. 15. The width of the band of liquid 802 can be reduced whilecaptivating substantially all of the liquid 802 at an end 970 of the gap930. For example, at least 90% by volume of the liquid 802 can remaincaptivated. In some embodiments, at least 95% by volume of the liquid802 can remain captivated. In yet further embodiments, substantially allof the liquid 802 can remain captivated as the width of the band ofliquid 802 is decreased.

The compressed width W_(N2) can be substantially less than the widthW_(S) such that the entire narrowed band of liquid 802 is spaced apartfrom the specimen 807. In some embodiments, the narrowed width W_(N2)can be equal to or less than about 50%, 25%, or 10% of the width W_(S).Such embodiments may be especially well suited to process slidescarrying one or more specimens. A relatively large area of the stainingarea 671 is uncovered by the narrowed band while preventing wicking orescape of the liquid. In some embodiments, the width W_(N2) can be equalto or less than about 40%, 30%, or 20% of the width W_(S). The widthW_(N1) can be generally equal to the width W_(N2). Advantageously, theopposable actuator 525 can be operated to increase or decrease toprovide variable narrowing of the band of liquid 802.

The opposable 810 of FIGS. 20A and 20B can be rolled back across theslide 243 to move the band of liquid 802 to the position shown in FIG.16A. The opposable 810 can be rolled back and forth any number of timesat a variable rate or constant rate to move the liquid 802 back andforth across the slide 243. If the liquid 802 is a washing liquid, thewashing liquid can be rapidly passed back and forth across the specimen807 to provide thorough washing. If the liquid 802 is a stain, the bandof liquid 802 can be passed back and forth across the specimen 807 toprovide uniform staining across an entire width W_(spec) (measured in adirection parallel to the longitudinal axis 951 of the slide 243) of thespecimen 807. One or more wash cycles can be performed between stainingcycles. On-slide mixing can also be performed, if needed or desired.

Processing protocols may require different rolling speeds and differentliquid volumes in order to meet various processing criteria (e.g.,chemical requirements, uptake requirements, solubility limitations,viscosity, or the like). If the specimen 807 is a paraffin embeddedspecimen, a relatively small volume of de-waxing solution (e.g., 12microliters of xylene) can be delivered into the gap 930. The opposable810 can be rolled (e.g., rolled along an imaginary plane spaced apartfrom the upper surface of the slide 243, rolled along the upper surface,rolled sideways, rolled longitudinally, or the like) or otherwisemanipulated (e.g., rotated, translated, or both) to apply the liquid802. After dewaxing, a relatively large volume of reagent can bedelivered into the gap 930. For example, a volume of about 125microliters to about 180 microliters of stain can be delivered into thegap 930. The stain is delivered to the specimen 807 and thensubsequently removed.

The method shown in FIGS. 16A-20B can be used to perform assay steps(e.g., antibody and chromogen assays). The assay steps can be performedat relatively low temperatures. The slide holder platen 601 can keep thespecimen and/or processing liquid at a temperature in a range of about35° C. to about 40° C. In one embodiment, the liquid and/or specimen iskept at a temperature of about 37° C. The dispenser (e.g., dispenser 622of FIG. 13) can deliver supplemental liquid to maintain a target volumeof about 30 to about 350 microliters. In some protocols, the dispenserdelivers supplemental liquid at a rate of about 4 to about 5.1microliters per minute to about 5.6 microliters per minute. In suchembodiments, the volume of the liquid (e.g., liquid 802 of FIG. 10) canbe kept in a range of about 90 microliters to about 175 microliters overabout a 15 minute period based on a relative humidity of about 10%-90%,an ambient temperature of about 15° C. to about 32° C., with an averageslide temperature tolerance of about ±1° C., and an opposable rollingspeed of about 25 to 60 millimeters per second. The evaporation rate maybe generally proportional to the rolling speed. If the rolling speed isabout 20 millimeters per second, a replenish rate of about 3.8microliters per minute to about 4.2 microliters per minute can maintaina volume of about 115 microliters to about 200 microliters. If therolling speed is about 40 millimeters per second, a replenish rate ofabout 5.1 microliters per minute to about 5.6 microliters per minute canmaintain a volume of the liquid 802 of about 115 microliters to about200 microliters. At a high rolling speed of about 90 millimeters persecond, the replenish rate can be about 7.6 microliters per minute toabout 8.4 microliters per minute to maintain a volume of about 110microliters to about 200 microliters. Higher speed may be possible butare dependent upon the gap height, opposable radius, and fluidproperties. Humidity and ambient temperatures can impact evaporationrates at low temperatures but may not have a significant impact atelevated temperatures of, for example, temperatures greater than 72° C.

For targeted retrieval, the rolling speed can be about 100 millimetersper second and the replenish rate can be 72 microliters per minute. Forantigen retrieval, the rolling speed can be about 180 millimeters persecond and the replenish rate can be about 105 microliters per minute.Other replenish rates can be selected based on the processingconditions.

As used herein, the term “opposable element” is a broad term and refersto, without limitation, a surface, a tile, a strip, or another structurecapable of manipulating one or more substances to process a specimen ona slide, as described herein. In some embodiments, the opposable elementcan include one or more spacers, gapping elements or other features forpositioning the opposable element relative to a slide. As discussedabove, opposable elements can be moved relative to a stationary slide tomanipulate a fluid. In other embodiments, a slide is moved relative to astationary opposable element to manipulate a fluid. In yet otherembodiments, both a slide and an opposable element are moved tomanipulate a fluid. The opposable 810 (FIGS. 16A and 16B) and opposable2012 (FIG. 28) are a non-limiting exemplary opposable elements and arediscussed in detail in connection with FIGS. 21-38.

FIGS. 21-34 shows one embodiment of the opposable 810. The opposable 810can include a body 1459, a port 1374, and a slot 1356. The body 1459includes a first row of gapping elements 1450, a second row of gappingelements 1452, and a specimen processing region 1453. When the specimenprocessing region 1453 faces a slide and interfaces with or engages aliquid, the liquid can be removed via the port 1374. The slot 1356 canreceive a feature of an opposable actuator. The body 1459 can alsoinclude keying features 1362, 1364 (e.g., holes, protrusions, etc.) usedto align the opposable 810. The illustrated features 1362, 1364 areholes.

FIG. 21 shows the specimen processing region 1453 between the two rowsof gapping elements 1450, 1452. The opposable 810 has edges 1454, 1456that can be dimensioned with respect to the slide to provide the desiredprocessing region 1453 (e.g., the entire surface 1460 of the opposable810, most of the upper surface 1460 of the opposable 810, the regionbetween the gapping elements 1450, 1452, or the like).

FIG. 22 shows en exemplary band of liquid 802 (illustrated in phantomline) positioned between the gapping elements 1450, 1452. The band ofliquid 802 can move along the length of the opposable 810 withoutcontacting the gapping elements 1450, 1452. The band of liquid 802 canbe displaced without accumulation of liquid about any of the gappingelements 1450, 1452.

The gapping elements 1450, 1452 can help process a specimen with adesired amount of fluid (e.g., a minimal amount of fluid). The gappingelements 1450, 1452 can also be spaced apart from one another to reduce,limit, or substantially prevent wicking between adjacent elements. Ifthe liquid 802 reaches one of the gapping elements 1450, 1452, theliquid 802 can reside at the contact interface between that gappingelement and the slide without flowing to an adjacent gapping element.The gapping elements 1450, 1452 are spaced apart from the edges 1454,1456 of the opposable 810 to keep the liquid proximate to the processingregion 1453. Additionally, the liquid 802 is kept far enough away fromthe edges 1454, 1456 to prevent wicking out from underneath theopposable 810 even if another object contacts the edges 1454, 1456.

The rows of gapping elements 1450, 1452 extend longitudinally along alength of the opposable 810. Opposing gapping elements of each row ofgapping elements 1450, 1452 are generally laterally aligned such that aslide can contact laterally aligned gapping elements 1450, 1452. As theopposable 810 is moved along the slide, the slide is successivelybrought into contact with laterally aligned gapping elements 1450, 1452.

Each of the rows of gapping elements 1450, 1452 can be generally similarto one another. Accordingly, the description of one of the rows ofgapping elements 1450, 1452 applies equally to the other, unlessindicated otherwise. The row of gapping elements 1450 can include about5 gapping elements to about 60 gapping elements with an average distancebetween adjacent gapping elements in a range of about 0.05 inch (1.27mm) to about 0.6 inch (15.24 mm). In some embodiments, including theillustrated embodiment of FIGS. 21 and 22, the row of gapping elements1450 includes 19 gapping elements that protrude outwardly from theentire surface 1460. In other embodiments, the row of gapping elements1450 includes about 10 gapping elements to about 40 gapping elements. Asviewed from above (see FIG. 22), the row of gapping elements 1450 has agenerally linear configuration. In other embodiments, the row of gappingelements 1450 has a zigzag configuration, serpentine configuration, orany other configuration or pattern.

The gapping elements 1450 can be evenly or unevenly spaced from oneanother. The distance between adjacent gapping elements 1450 can begreater than the heights of the gapping elements 1450 and/or less than athickness T (FIG. 24) of the body 1459 of the opposable 810. Otherspacing arrangements are also possible, if needed or desired. In someembodiments, the thickness T is about 0.08 inch (2 mm). A width Wbetween the edges 1454, 1456 can be in a range of about 0.6 inch (15.24mm) to about 1.5 inch (38 mm). In some embodiments, the width W is about1.2 inches (30 mm) and the edges 1454, 1456 can be substantiallyparallel. Other widths are also possible.

Referring to FIG. 22, a distance D between the rows 1450, 1452 can beselected based on the dimensions of the specimen and the dimensions ofthe slide. In some embodiments, the distance D is in a range of about0.25 inch (6.35 mm) to about 1 inch (25 mm). If the slide is a standardmicroscope slide, the distance D can be less than about 0.5 inch (12.7mm).

FIG. 24 shows one of the gapping elements 1450. The height H of thegapping element 1450 can be selected based on the ability to manipulatefluid. The gapping element 1450 can have a height H equal to or lessthan about 0.0015 inch (0.038 mm) if the specimen is a tissue sectionwith a thickness that is less than about 0.0015 inch (0.038 mm). Theminimum height of the capillary gap (e.g., gap 930 of FIGS. 16A-16B) canbe equal to 0.0015 inch (0.038 mm) if the gapping elements 1450 contactthe slide. In some embodiments, the height H is in a range of about0.001 inch (0.025 mm) to about 0.005 inch (0.127 mm). In certainembodiments, the height H is about 0.003 inch (0.076 mm) (e.g., 0.003inch±0.0005 inch) to process thin tissue sections with a thickness lessthan about 30 microns, 20 microns, or 10 microns.

The pattern, number, dimensions, and configurations of the gappingelements 1450, 1452 can be selected based on the desired interactionbetween the specimen and the liquid. If the opposable 810 includes afield of gapping elements, the gapping elements can be distributedevenly or unevenly across the opposable 810 to form different patternsthat may include, without limitation, one or more rows, arrays,geometric shapes, or the like.

The gapping element 1450 can be a partially spherical dimple, partiallyelliptical dimple, or the like. The illustrated gapping element 1450 isa substantially partially spherical dimple. If the specimen issufficiently large or moves towards one side of the slide, the gappingelement 1450 in the form of a dimple can slide over the specimen withoutdamaging or dislodging the specimen to the slide. In other embodiments,the gapping element 1450 can be in the form of a polyhedron protrusion,a conical protrusion, a frustoconical protrusion, or another combinationof polygonal and arcuate shapes.

The body 1459 of FIG. 23 is in the shape of a simple arc with a radiusof curvature R in a range of about 2 inches (5 cm) to about 30 inches(76 cm). In some embodiments, the radius of curvature R is about 15inches (38 cm) or about 20 inches (74 cm). The nominal radius of theprofile deviation can be equal to or less than about 0.1 inch. Theactual radius of the profile can deviate less than about 0.01 inch. Suchembodiments are well suited to produce a liquid band having a generallyrectangular shape, as viewed from above, and also spanning the width ofthe slide and, for a particular volume, having a low variance in lengthalong the slide. The radius of curvature R can be selected based on thenumber of specimens to be processed, the amount of fluid agitation, theproperties of the processing liquids, the height of gapping elements1450, 1452, and the like. In other embodiments, the opposable 810 is inthe shape of a complex arc (e.g., an elliptical arc), a compound arc, orthe like. In yet other embodiments, the opposable 810 can besubstantially planar. The surface across the width W can be generallystraight.

The opposable 810 can be made, in whole or in part, of polymers,plastics, elastomers, composites, ceramics, glass, or metals, as well asany other material that is chemically compatible with the processingfluids and specimen. Exemplary plastics include, without limitation,polyethylene (e.g., high density polyethylene, linear low densitypolyethylene, blends, or the like), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF),polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), perfluoroalkoxy (PFA), or combinationsthereof. In some embodiments, the opposable 810 can be made of a singlematerial. In other embodiments, different portions of the opposable 810are made of different materials. If the opposable 810 is disposable, itcan be made, in whole or in part, of a relatively inexpensive material.If the opposable 810 is rigid, it can be made, in whole or in part, ofpolycarbonate, urethane, polyester, a metal coated plate, or the like.

Referring again to FIG. 23, the end 952 includes a captivation featurein the form of a tapered region 1461. The tapered region 1461 ispositioned to captivate the band of liquid. As the opposable 810 isover-rolled, the band of liquid can contact and cling to the taperedregion 1461. A curved surface 1463 provides a large surface area towhich the liquid can cling. The illustrated tapered region 1461 has aradius of curvature equal to or less than about 0.08 inch to cooperatewith a standard microscope slide to captivate a band of liquid. Otherradii of curvature can also be used, if needed or desired. In someembodiments, the curvature of the rounded edge 1461 is uniform acrossthe width W of the opposable 810. In other embodiments, the curvature ofthe rounded edge varies across the width W of the opposable 810.

The opposable 810 can be disposable to prevent cross-contamination. Asused herein, the term “disposable” when applied to a system or component(or combination of components), such as an opposable element, aprocessing liquid, or the like, is a broad term and generally means,without limitation, that the system or component in question is used afinite number of times and is then discarded. Some disposablecomponents, such as an opposable element, are used only once and arethen discarded. In some embodiments, multiple components of a processingapparatus are disposable to further prevent or limit carryovercontamination. In other embodiments, the components are non-disposableand can be used any number of times. For example, opposable elementsthat are non-disposable may be subjected to different types of cleaningand/or sterilization processes without appreciably altering thecharacteristics of the opposable element.

It is expected that when a volume of fluid on the surface of a slideadvances longitudinally in response to capillary forces, currents withinthe fluid will predominantly align with the direction of movement ratherthan become randomly oriented. As such, the relevant fluid dynamics maycorrespond more to a laminar flow regime than to a turbulent flowregime. In a laminar flow regime, lateral mixing (e.g., mixing generallyperpendicular to the direction of movement) may be relatively limited.When a volume of fluid is advanced at relatively high speed along aslide using the opposable, the fluid's inertia can cause some of thefluid to flow past the edges of the slide. Although a rough or atextured surface in contact with the fluid can also induce someincreased turbulence and increased lateral mixing, it can also causebubbles to form in the fluid, which can be undesirable, especially inthe context of staining reactions.

When a volume of fluid advanced over a slide includes a reactant (e.g.,an oxidizing agent, a chromogen, or another suitable histochemicalreactant) that is consumed via interaction with a specimen, limitedlateral mixing within the fluid may cause undesirable inhomogeneities inthe concentration of the reactant. For example, a specimen can have anon-uniform surface area or density of reaction sites across the widthof a slide, which can cause a reactant to be depleted at different rateswithin different regions of a volume of fluid advanced over the slide.Diffusional mixing alone may be inadequate to equilibrate theseinhomogeneities. For example, many reactants have relatively highmolecular weights and diffuse relatively slowly such that lateraldiffusion may be insufficient to equilibrate the concentration of suchreactants. Some specimen-processing reactions are highly dependent onreactant concentration. In dynamic fluid protocols, when differentregions of a volume of fluid (e.g., a bolus of fluid, a thin film offluid, etc.) advanced over a specimen have different reactantconcentrations, corresponding regions of the specimen can be processedat different rates, resulting in non-uniform specimen processing (e.g.,non-uniform staining of a specimen). This can be problematic whenrelatively uniform specimen processing is desirable. The non-uniformstaining is often in the form of a non-random pattern (e.g., a stripedpattern) associated with directionality of the fluid movement. In staticfluid processing (e.g., incubation), variations in tissuecharacteristics may lead to processing irregularities. However, suchirregularities may result in processing inconsistencies that aresignificantly less than processing inconsistencies associated withdynamic fluid staining protocols.

One example of non-uniform staining is illustrated in FIG. 25, which isa plan view of a slide 2000 and six rectangular specimens 2002 (oneidentified) positioned on a surface of the slide 2000. The specimens2002 are spaced apart from one another and generally symmetricallydistributed relative to a bisecting plane 2004. The bisecting plane 2004extends along the centerline of the slide 2000 and is generally parallelto the length of the slide 2000. Inner regions 2002 a (one identified inFIG. 25) of the specimens 2002 are closer to the bisecting plane 2004than outer regions 2002 b (one identified) of the specimens 2002. Avolume of fluid 2005 (shown in dashed line) can be moved over the slide2000. For example, the volume of fluid 2005 can be moved longitudinally(indicated by arrow 2007) along the slide 2000. The inner regions 2002 amay develop greater stain intensities than the outer regions 2002 b.Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is possible that a lack ofreaction sites around the bisecting plane 2004 (e.g., the lack ofreaction sites in the gaps between laterally adjacent specimens 2002)can cause a localized increase in reactant concentration in a portion ofthe volume of fluid proximate the bisecting plane 2004 relative toportions of the fluid 2005 further from the bisecting plane 2004. Forexample, a concentration of the reactant at an inner region 2001 a ofthe fluid 2005 can be greater than a concentration of the reactant atouter regions 2001 b of the fluid 2005. This concentration differencecan cause the non-uniform staining illustrated in FIG. 25.

Another example of non-uniform staining is illustrated in FIG. 26, whichis a plan view of a slide 2006 and one irregularly shaped specimen 2008positioned on a surface of the slide 2006. The specimen 2008 is notsymmetrical relative to a bisecting plane 2010. In particular, a firstregion 2008 a of the specimen 2008 on one side of the bisecting plane2010 is smaller than a second region 2008 b of the specimen 2008 on theother side of the bisecting plane 2010. After advancing a volume offluid 2009 (shown in dashed line) longitudinally over the slide 2006 inthe directions indicated by arrow 2011, the first region 2008 a maydevelop greater stain intensity than the second region 2008 b. Again,without wishing to be bound by theory, it is possible that a smallernumber of reaction sites associated with the first region 2008 arelative to the second region 2008 b can cause a portion 2013 a of thefluid 2009 advanced over the first region 2008 a to develop a higherreactant concentration than a portion 2013 b of the fluid advanced overthe second region 2008 b, and that this concentration difference cancause the non-uniform staining illustrated in FIG. 26. In still otherexamples, natural variation in the number and/or type of reaction sitesassociated with a specimen can cause non-uniform staining even when thespecimen is symmetrical relative to a bisecting plane or other referenceplane. Other phenomena can also lead to non-uniform staining similar toor different than the non-uniform staining illustrated in FIGS. 25 and26.

FIG. 27 is a plot of average real-time reactant concentration on thex-axis versus reaction rate on the y-axis for one example of aspecimen-processing reaction during a processing period (e.g., while avolume of fluid including a reactant is advanced over a specimen).During the processing period, the specimen-processing reaction graduallyconsumes the reactant. With many specimen-processing reactions, there isa threshold reactant concentration ([R]_(threshold)) above which thereaction is zero order (i.e., generally independent of the reactantconcentration) and below which the reaction is not zero order (e.g.,first or second order). Thus, in some cases, even if a reactantconcentration is depleted to produce varying concentration levels withindifferent portions of a volume of fluid, the reaction rate at differentregions of the specimen can remain generally the same so long as thedepleted levels remain above [R]_(threshold). Various factors, however,such as reactant cost, solubility, poisoning (e.g., enzyme poisoning),and selectivity, among others, can make it technically challengingand/or undesirable to use relatively high initial reactantconcentrations. Thus, the initial reactant concentration within a volumeof fluid is often insufficient to prevent the real-time reactantconcentration in different portions of the fluid from falling below[R]_(threshold) during a processing period. Furthermore, the number ofreaction sites associated with a specimen, the size of the specimen, thedistribution of the reaction sites, and other factors that affectreactant depletion often vary widely between specimens and may beimpractical to control. Specimens can vary, for example, from a singleneedle biopsy having an area of about 0.01 square centimeters andrelatively low antigen loading to a slice of tissue having an area ofabout 10 square centimeters and relatively high antigen loading. Lateralmixing of a volume of fluid can facilitate generally uniform processingof single needle biopsies, slices of tissue, and other types ofspecimens. Opposables can be configured to laterally mix a volume offluid.

FIGS. 28, 29, and 30 are, respectively, an isometric view, a top planview, and a side elevational view of an opposable 2012 configured inaccordance with an embodiment of the present technology. FIG. 31 is adetailed view of a portion of the opposable 2012. In some cases, theopposable 2012 can provide lateral mixing to at least partiallycompensate for one or more of the phenomena described above and/or otherphenomena associated with non-uniform staining. For example, enhancedlateral mixing in accordance with some embodiments of the presenttechnology can facilitate generally even distribution of a reactantthroughout a volume of fluid before, during, or after performing aspecimen-processing reaction. Furthermore, enhanced lateral mixing canbe useful for achieving uniform temperatures, see Table 1) andconcentration profiles throughout a volume of liquid, for increasingrinsing efficiency, for increasing homogenization of fluids afterreplenishing (e.g., after supplementing the fluids to at least partiallycompensate for evaporation), and/or for enhancing other suitableprocesses.

TABLE 1 Slide Temp Variation Slide Temp Variation (Degrees C.) (DegreesC.) 30 Second Intervals Point 1 Point 2 Opposable Std Dev 0.6 0.7 withUniform % CV 0.6 0.8 Spacer Height Opposable Std Dev 0.3 0.3 WithVarying % CV 0.4 0.3 Spacer Height

Referring to FIGS. 28-31, the opposable 2012 can include a non-planar(e.g., arcuate and/or cambered) body 2014 having a fluid-manipulatingsurface 2016. The opposable 2012 can further include a first spacer 2018at a first side portion 2016 a of the fluid-manipulating surface 2016,and a second spacer 2020 at a second side portion 2016 b of thefluid-manipulating surface 2016. In some embodiments, the first andsecond spacers 2018, 2020 include, respectively, first and secondpluralities of discrete protrusions 2022 (individually identified as2022 a-z). The protrusions 2022, for example, can be spaced-apartgapping elements, bumps, points, ridges, dams, walls, or other suitablespacing structures.

The fluid-manipulating surface 2016 can include a central or processingregion 2016 c between the first and second side portions 2016 a, 2016 b.For example, the first and second side portions 2016 a, 2016 b can bespaced apart from one another on either side of a bisecting plane 2024(FIG. 29). The bisecting plane 2024 can extend through the centralregion 2016 c, be centrally positioned relative to the width of thefluid-manipulating surface 2016, and be generally parallel to the lengthof the opposable 2012. In some embodiments, the width of thefluid-manipulating surface 2016 extends across generally the entiredistance between the edges 1454, 1456. In other embodiments, the widthof the fluid-manipulating surface 2016 can extend across only a portionof the distance between the edges 1454, 1456. The body 2014 can beflexible or rigid at the fluid-manipulating surface 2016, and can bemade of a molded polymer or another suitable molded or non-moldedmaterial.

FIG. 32 is a plan view of a slide 2026 suitable for use with theopposable 2012. The slide 2026 can include a specimen-bearing surface2028 having a first side portion 2028 a generally corresponding to thefirst side portion 2016 a of the fluid-manipulating surface 2016, asecond side portion 2028 b generally corresponding to the second sideportion 2016 b of the fluid-manipulating surface 2016, and a centralregion 2028 c generally corresponding to the central region 2016 c ofthe fluid-manipulating surface 2016. A specimen 2030 can be positionedon the central region 2028 c of the specimen-bearing surface 2028. Withreference to FIGS. 28-32 together, the opposable 2012 and the slide 2026can be configured to be positioned proximate to one another with thefirst spacer 2018 at least partially in contact with the first sideportion 2028 a, and the second spacer 2020 at least partially in contactwith the second side portion 2028 b.

The opposable 2012 and the slide 2026 can be configured to form afluid-carrying gap (not shown) between a portion of the central region2016 c of the fluid-manipulating surface 2016 and a correspondingportion of the central region 2028 c of the specimen-bearing surface2028. The central region 2016 c can be curved to facilitate controlledmanipulation of a fluid (not shown) within the fluid-carrying gap byrolling action (e.g., rolling capillary action). In this way, fluid canbe advanced along a processing path 2031 (FIG. 32) extending over thespecimen 2030. The fluid can be advanced cyclically, such as from afirst end portion 2031 a of the processing path 2031, over a middleportion 2031 b of the processing path 2031, to a second end portion 2031c of the processing path 2031, and then back over the middle portion2031 b to the first end portion 2031 a. The central region 2016 c canhave a radius of curvature R (FIGS. 30 and 31) from about 2 inches (5.2cm) to about 30 inches (76.2 cm), from about 10 inches (25.4 cm) toabout 20 inches (50.8 cm), or within another suitable range. In someembodiments, R is about 15 inches (38.1 cm). The portions of the centralregions 2016 c, 2028 c forming the fluid-carrying gap can be centered oroff-center relative to the bisecting plane 2024. In some embodiments,the fluid-carrying gap is spaced apart from the first spacer 2018 and/orthe second spacer 2020. In other embodiments, the fluid-carrying gap canextend to, through, or past the first spacer 2018 and/or the secondspacer 2020.

FIG. 33 is a partially schematic side elevational view of aspecimen-processing assembly 2032 including the opposable 2012 and aplaten 2034 configured to support the slide 2026. The opposable 2012 andthe slide 2026 (e.g., via the platen 2034) can be configured to interactvia a fluid-manipulating action to change the portions of the centralregions 2016 c, 2028 c forming the fluid-carrying gap (e.g., to advancethe fluid-carrying gap over the length of the slide 2026). Thefluid-manipulating action can include, for example, rotating theopposable 2012 relative to the slide 2026, rotating the slide 2026relative to the opposable 2012, or both, in a plane of rotation (notshown).

The specimen-processing assembly 2032 can include an actuator 2036operably connected to the opposable 2012 and to the platen 2034. Inother embodiments, the actuator 2036 can be operably connected to theopposable 2012 only, to the platen 2034 only, or have another suitableconfiguration. The actuator 2036 can be configured to move (e.g., rotateor tilt) the opposable 2012 relative to the platen 2034, to move (e.g.,rotate, tilt, etc.) the platen 2034 relative to the opposable 2012, orboth, in the plane of rotation. The plane of rotation can be, forexample, a plane generally parallel to (e.g., the same as) the bisectingplane 2024 (FIG. 29). The specimen-processing assembly 2032 can furtherinclude a controller 2038 operably connected to the actuator 2036, and auser interface 2040 operably connected to the controller 2038. Thecontroller 2038 can include a processor 2042 and memory 2044 and can beprogrammed with instructions (e.g., non-transitory instructions, asequence of instructions, etc.) that, when executed, cause the actuator2036 to carry out the fluid-manipulating action.

With reference to FIGS. 28-33 together, the first and second spacers2018, 2020 can be configured to vary the profile or cross section of thefluid-carrying gap (e.g., a profile or cross section of thefluid-carrying gap in a direction transverse to the length of the slide2026) to provide enhanced lateral mixing. In some embodiments, the firstand second spacers 2018, 2020 change the orientation of thefluid-manipulating surface 2016 relative to the slide 2026 to producelateral flows in the volume of fluid. Pairs of protrusions 2022 onopposite sides of the opposable 2012 can have different heights to alterthe tilt of at least a portion of the opposable 2012 relative to theslide 2026. In this or another suitable manner, the first and secondspacers 2018, 2020 can differentially space apart the first and secondside portions 2016 a, 2016 b of the fluid-manipulating surface 2016 fromthe first and second side portions 2028 a, 2028 b of thespecimen-bearing surface 2028, respectively, during thefluid-manipulating action. The first spacer 2018 can have a first heightprofile parallel to the plane of rotation and the second spacer 2020 canhave a second height profile parallel to the plane of rotation differentthan the first height profile. As different protrusions 2022 come intocontact with the first and second side portions 2028 a, 2028 b,respectively, the difference between the first and second heightprofiles can change the shape of the fluid-carrying gap and therebycause fluid within the fluid-carrying gap to move laterally. Thislateral movement can cause, for example, chaotic advection that can atleast partially mitigate the poor lateral mixing often associated withlaminar flow regimes.

In some embodiments, the first and second height profiles can include astep down and a step up, respectively, toward the edge 1461 (FIG. 28).For example, the protrusions 2022 h-s can have a first height H₁ (FIG.31) and the protrusions 2022 a-g and 2022 t-z can have a second heightH₂ (FIG. 31), with H₁ being less than H₂. H₁ can be, for example, fromabout 0.001 inch to about 0.004 inch, from about 0.002 inch to about0.0035 inch, or within another suitable range. In some embodiments, H₁is about 0.003 inch. H₂ can be, for example, from about 0.004 inch toabout 0.008 inch, from about 0.005 inch to about 0.007 inch, or withinanother suitable range. In some embodiments, H₂ is about 0.006 inch. Aratio of H₁ to H₂ can be, for example, from about 1:1.25 to about 1:3,from about 1:1.5 to about 1:2.5, or within another suitable range. Insome embodiments, the ratio of H₁ to H₂ is about 1:2. Other suitablevalues for H₁, H₂, and the ratio of H₁ to H₂ are also possible.Furthermore, other suitable height profiles are possible. For example,the first height profile, the second height profile, or both can changegradually rather than abruptly. As another example, the first heightprofile, the second height profile, or both can include more than oneheight gradient. As yet another example, the first height profile, thesecond height profile, or both can allow the first side portions 2016 a,2028 a to touch while second side portions 2016 b, 2028 b are spacedapart and/or allow the second side portions 2016 b, 2028 b to touchwhile first side portions 2016 a, 2028 a are spaced apart during atleast a portion of the fluid-manipulating action.

The opposable 2012 and the slide 2026 can be moved from a first endstate to a second end state and through a range of intermediate statesbetween the first and second end states. FIGS. 34A, 35A, and 36A areside elevational views of the opposable 2012 and the slide 2026 at thefirst end state, at an intermediate state within the range ofintermediate states, and at the second end state, respectively. FIGS.34B, 35B, and 36B are cross-sectional views taken along line 34B-34B inFIG. 34A, along the line 35B-35B in FIG. 35A, and along the line 36B-36Bin FIG. 36A, respectively. FIGS. 34C, 35C, and 36C are enlarged views ofa fluid-carrying gap 2046 formed by the opposable 2012 and the slide2026 in the first end state, the intermediate state, and the secondstate, respectively, with exaggerated slope shown in FIGS. 34C and 36C.In some cases, the opposable 2012 can be in a rolling position in theintermediate states and in an over roll or turnaround position in one orboth of the first and second end states.

Referring to FIGS. 34A-36C together, moving from the first end state tothe second end state and through the range of intermediate states cancause different portions of the first and second spacers 2018, 2020 comeinto and out of contact with the first and second side portions 2028 a,2028 b of the specimen-bearing surface 2028, respectively. For example,at the first end state (FIGS. 34A-C), a first portion of the firstspacer 2018 (e.g., protrusions 2022 a-d) and a first portion of thesecond spacer 2020 (e.g., protrusions 2022 n-q) can be in contact withthe specimen-bearing surface 2028. At the second end state (FIGS.36A-C), a second portion of the first spacer 2018 (e.g., protrusions2022 j-m) and a second portion of the second spacer 2020 (e.g.,protrusions 2022 w-z) can be in contact with the specimen-bearingsurface 2028. Within the range of intermediate states (one shown inFIGS. 36A-C), a third portion of the first spacer 2018 (e.g.,protrusions 2022 e-i) and a third portion of the second spacer 2020(e.g., protrusions 2022 r-v) can be in contact with the specimen-bearingsurface 2028. The first and second portions of the first spacer 2018 canbe spaced apart along the first side portion 2016 a of thefluid-manipulating surface 2016 with the third portion of the firstspacer 2018 positioned therebetween. Similarly, the first and secondportions of the second spacer 2020 can be spaced apart along the secondside portion 2016 b of the fluid-manipulating surface 2016 with thethird portion of the second spacer 2020 positioned therebetween.

During the fluid-manipulating action, the first and second spacers 2018,2020 can cause at least a portion of the fluid-manipulating surface 2016to rotate in a plane that is not parallel to the plane of rotation(e.g., a plane generally perpendicular to the plane of rotation). Forexample, the opposable 2012 can rock in the lateral direction or tiltfrom side to side as it is rolled along the slide 2026. In some cases,the fluid-manipulating action includes moving the opposable 2012 and/orthe slide 2026 in opposite directions within the plane of rotation. Thiscan reverse the movement of fluid within the fluid-carrying gap 2046along the processing path 2031 (FIG. 32) as well as reverse lateralmovement of the fluid caused by the first and second spacers 2018, 2020.For example, the first and second spacers 2018, 2020 can be configuredto cause at least a portion of the fluid-manipulating surface 2016 torotate in a first direction 2048 (FIGS. 34B and 35B) while the opposable2012 rotates relative to the slide 2026 in a second direction 2050(FIGS. 34A and 35A) different than the first direction 2048 and theopposable 2012 and the slide 2026 move from the first end state towardthe second end state. Similarly, the first and second spacers 2018, 2020can be configured to cause at least a portion of the fluid-manipulatingsurface 2016 to rotate in a third direction 2052 (FIG. 36B) while theopposable 2012 rotates relative to the slide 2026 in a fourth direction2054 (FIG. 36A) different than the third direction 2052 and theopposable 2012 and the slide 2026 move from the second end state towardthe first end state. In some embodiments, the first and third directions2048, 2052 are generally opposite and/or the second and fourthdirections 2050, 2054 are generally opposite.

The transverse cross section of the fluid carrying gap 2046 can vary asthe opposable 2012 moves to different positions. The transverse crosssections of the fluid carrying gap 2046 can be wedge shaped, triangularshaped, or have other suitable configurations to provide an asymmetricalflow channel. For example, the flow channel can have an asymmetricalcross section when the opposable 2012 moves towards the over rolledposition (FIG. 36A) and a symmetrical cross section when the opposable2012 is in an intermediate position (FIG. 35A). In some cases, lateralmixing can be performed primarily at one or both turnaround portions ofthe rolling motion. In other cases, lateral mixing can be performedrelatively consistently throughout the rolling motion. The overallgeometry of the flow channel (e.g., the three-dimensional space throughwhich the fluid-carrying gap 2046 moves during the fluid-manipulatingaction) can have various suitable shapes, such as shapes that havegenerally equal volumes on either side of the bisecting plane 2024 (FIG.29) and shapes that have different volumes on either side of thebisecting plane 2024. In some embodiments, at least a portion of theflow channel can have a substantially saddle shape, partially sphericalshape, partially frusto-conical shape, generally triangular shape orwedge shape, or the like. Different portions of the flow channel canhave different shapes. Different portions of the opposable 2012 can havenon-planar configurations (e.g., saddle shaped, partially sphericalshape, partially frusta-conical shape, etc.), planar configurations, orthe like to define such flow channels.

In some embodiments, the first and second spacers 2018, 2020 can beconfigured to cause a cross section of the fluid-carrying gap 2046 in afirst plane perpendicular to the plane of rotation (e.g., a planecorresponding to line 34B-34B in FIG. 34A) to have a first asymmetryrelative to the bisecting plane 2024 (FIG. 29) when the opposable 2012and the slide 2026 are in the first end state. Similarly, the first andsecond spacers 2018, 2020 can be configured to cause a cross section ofthe fluid-carrying gap 2046 in a second plane perpendicular to the planeof rotation (e.g., a plane corresponding to line 36B-36B in FIG. 36A) tohave a second asymmetry relative to the bisecting plane 2024 when theopposable 2012 and the slide 2026 are in the second end state. The firstand second asymmetries can be generally opposite relative to oneanother. The first asymmetry can correspond to a volumetric taper of thefluid-carrying gap 2046 in a first direction toward the first spacer2018, and the second asymmetry can correspond to a volumetric taper ofthe fluid-carrying gap 2046 in a second direction toward the secondspacer 2020. The changing volumetric taper of the fluid-carrying gap2046 can cause fluid (and reactants) within the fluid-carrying gap 2046to move in a direction opposite to the direction of the volumetric taperdue to displacement and/or to move in the direction of the volumetrictaper due to capillary action. For clarity purposes, the fluid is notshown in FIGS. 34B, 35B, 36B, although the fluid can be located at fluidgap F. Both types of movement can enhance lateral mixing of the fluid.The changing volumetric taper of the fluid-carrying gap 2046 can alsohave other additional and/or alternative effects on the fluid within thefluid-carrying gap 2046 that can enhance lateral mixing of the fluidand/or have other benefits.

The height profiles of the spacers 2018, 2020 can be selected to causegenerally even lateral mixing of fluid in opposite directions. Forexample, the height profiles of the spacers 2018, 2020 on opposite sidesof the opposable can be different. This can cause a lateral mixingeffect that occurs when the opposable 2012 moves from the first state tothe second state to be generally reversed when the opposable 2012 andthe slide 2026 move from the second state back to the first state. Whenthe first portion of the first spacer 2018 has an average height greaterthan that of the first portion of the second spacer 2020, and the secondportion of the first spacer 2018 has an average height less than that ofthe first portion of the second spacer 2020, an average height of thefirst and second portions together of the first spacer 2018 can be aboutequal to an average height of the first and second portions together ofthe second spacer 2020. An average height of the third portion of thefirst spacer 2018 can also be about equal to an average height of thethird portion of the second spacer 2020. These attributes can facilitategenerally symmetrical volumetric distribution relative to a plane (e.g.,a bisecting plane not shown) perpendicular to the bisecting plane 2024(FIG. 29). Furthermore, they can cause the fluid-carrying gap 2046 to berelatively symmetrical while it passes over the central region of theslide 2026, which carries the specimen 2030. This can increase thevolumetric consistency of portions of the fluid proximate differentregions of the specimen 2030.

As discussed above, enhanced lateral mixing can facilitate more uniformstaining of specimens. For example, in at least some enzymatic stainingreactions, enhanced lateral mixing can allow for acceptable levels ofstain uniformity across a broad range of specimen variation withoutusing initial reactant concentrations high enough to poison the enzyme.In one illustrative example, the specimen 2030 (FIG. 32) can havedifferent antigen loads on opposite sides of a bisecting plane (notshown) parallel to the processing path 2031. The antigen load on oneside of the bisecting plane can be, for example, from about 50% to about500%, from about 100% to about 300%, or within another suitable rangegreater than the antigen load on the other side of the bisecting plane.

The opposable 2012 can be used to advance a fluid including a reactant(e.g., an oxidizing agent, such as hydrogen peroxide) along with anotherreactant (e.g., a chromogen, such as 3,3′-diaminobenzidine) over thespecimen 2030. The fluid can be advanced, for example, at a speed fromabout 10 millimeters/second to about 40 millimeters/second, from about20 millimeters/second to about 30 millimeters/second, or within anothersuitable range. In some cases, the fluid is advanced at a speed of about25 millimeters/second. The fluid can have a volume, for example, fromabout 50 microliters to about 250 microliters, from about 75 microlitersto about 125 microliters, or within another suitable range. In somecases, the fluid has a volume of about 100 microliters. Theconcentration of one or both of the reactants can be from about 100% toabout 300%, from about 100% to about 200%, or within another suitablerange of a minimum concentration for generally maintaining an enzymaticstaining reaction at zero order. When the reactant is an oxidizing agent(e.g., hydrogen peroxide), higher concentrations of the reactant can, insome cases, poison enzymes (e.g., horseradish peroxidase) bound to theantigens on the specimen 2030 via antibodies.

The opposable 2012 can also be used to perform on slide mixing, afeature heretofore not possible with flat surface capillary gap systems.In one embodiment, a small volume of a concentrated reagent or reagentin a storage buffer is aspirated into a reagent pipette from a vial.This reagent is transported to, and dispensed on, the slide. A largervolume of a diluent fluid is dispensed through the pipette onto theslide to dilute the reagent and provide the bulk of the fluid to satisfythe target volume requirements. It has also been found that the use of anon-buffered fluid can be added to a wide variety of reagents withoutchanging their chemical dynamics. This process can also be used tomodify the ratio of chromogen reagents (or other mix ratios) byselectively diluting some components while leaving others at theirstarting concentration. This process can also be used to enhanceintentional stain intensity. For many steps, final stain intensity canbe adjusted by modifying the on-slide concentration on the fly. Once thetarget reagent and dilution volume is on the slide, the opposable canprovide mixing of the laminar reagent and diluent providing evendistribution over the surface of the slide. Since the reagents appliedin this manner are dropped sequentially onto the slide, they formrelatively discrete layers on the slide which promotes mixing via theorthogonal movement of the opposable and opposable actuator assembly.

FIGS. 37 and 38 are plan views of the slides 2000, 2006 with specimensprocessed with the opposable 2012. In contrast to the stainnon-uniformity illustrated in FIGS. 43 and 44, FIGS. 55 and 56illustrate examples of relatively uniform staining. Due at least in partto enhanced lateral mixing, after staining, the specimens 2002 (FIGS.37) and 2008 (FIG. 38) can have stain-intensity gradients less thanabout 15%, less than about 10%, or within another suitable range. Insome cases, the specimens 2002, 2008 have stain-intensity gradients ofabout 5% and/or stain-intensity gradients generally undetectable to thenaked eye. Other beneficial staining outcomes are also possible. In someembodiments, opposables 2012 can be used with the system 100 to achievesubstantially uniform processing across one or more specimen.

The slides disclosed herein can be a 1 inch×3 inch microscope slide, a25 mm×75 mm microscope slide, or another type of flat or substantiallyflat substrate. “Substantially flat substrate” refers, withoutlimitation, to any object having at least one substantially flatsurface, but more typically to any object having two substantially flatsurfaces on opposite sides of the object, and even more typically to anyobject having opposed substantially flat surfaces, which opposedsurfaces are generally equal in size but larger than any other surfaceson the object. In some embodiments, the substantially flat substrate cancomprise any suitable material, including plastics, rubber, ceramics,glass, silicon, semiconductor materials, metals, combinations thereof,or the like. Non-limiting examples of substantially flat substratesinclude flat covers, SELDI and MALDI chips, silicon wafers, or othergenerally planar objects with at least one substantially flat surface.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments ofthe invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration,but well-known structures and functions have not been shown or describedin detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of at leastsome embodiments of the invention. The systems described herein canperform a wide range of processes for preparing biological specimens foranalyzing. Where the context permits, singular or plural terms may alsoinclude the plural or singular term, respectively. Unless the word “or”is associated with an express clause indicating that the word should belimited to mean only a single item exclusive from the other items inreference to a list of two or more items, then the use of “or” in such alist shall be interpreted as including (a) any single item in the list,(b) all of the items in the list, or (c) any combination of the items inthe list. The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include pluralreferents unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Thus, forexample, reference to “a specimen” refers to one or more specimens, suchas two or more specimens, three or more specimens, or four or morespecimens.

The various embodiments described above can be combined to providefurther embodiments. The embodiments, features, systems, devices,materials, methods, and techniques described herein may, in someembodiments, be similar to any one or more of the embodiments, features,systems, devices, materials, methods, and techniques described in U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/509,785; U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/157,231; U.S. Pat. No. 7,468,161; U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/509,785; U.S. Patent Application No. 61/746,085 (Attorney DocketNumber 79687-8020.US00), filed on Dec. 26, 2012 and entitled AUTOMATEDSPECIMEN PROCESSING SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF USING THE SAME; U.S. PatentApplication No. 61/746,087 (Attorney Docket Number 79687-8024.US00),filed on Dec. 26, 2012 and entitled SPECIMEN PROCESSING SYSTEMS ANDMETHODS FOR MODERATING EVAPORATION, U.S. Patent Application No.61/746,089 (Attorney Docket Number 79687-8025.US00), filed on Dec. 26,2012 and entitled SPECIMEN PROCESSING SYSTEMS AND METHOD FOR UNIFORMLYHEATING SLIDES; and U.S. Patent Application No. 61/746,091 (AttorneyDocket Number 79687-8026.US00), filed on Dec. 26, 2012 and entitledSPECIMEN PROCESSING SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ALIGNING SLIDES; andInternational App. No. PCT/US2010/056752, all of which are incorporatedby reference in their entireties. In addition, the embodiments,features, systems, devices, materials, methods, and techniques describedherein may, in certain embodiments, be applied to or used in connectionwith any one or more of the embodiments, features, systems, devices,materials, methods, and techniques disclosed in the above-mentionedInternational App. No. PCT/US2010/056752; U.S. patent application Ser.No. 13/509,785; U.S. Patent Application No. 61/746,085 (Attorney Docketnumber 79687-8020.US00), filed on Dec. 26, 2012 and entitled AUTOMATEDSPECIMEN PROCESSING SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF USING THE SAME; U.S. PatentApplication No. 61/746,087 (Attorney Docket number 79687-8024.US00),filed on Dec. 26, 2012 and entitled SPECIMEN PROCESSING SYSTEMS ANDMETHODS FOR MODERATING EVAPORATION, U.S. Patent Application No.61/746,089 (Attorney Docket number 79687-8025.US00), filed on Dec. 26,2012 application and entitled SPECIMEN PROCESSING SYSTEMS AND METHOD FORUNIFORMLY HEATING SLIDES; and U.S. Patent Application No. 61/746,091(Attorney Docket number 79687-8026.US00), filed on Dec. 26, 2012 andentitled SPECIMEN PROCESSING SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ALIGNING SLIDES,and U.S. Pat. No. 7,468,161. Aspects of the disclosed embodiments can bemodified, if necessary, to employ concepts of the various patents,applications, and publications to provide yet further embodiments.

These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of theabove-detailed description. For example, a seal element can have aone-piece or multi-piece construction and can include any number ofretention features. In general, in the following claims, the terms usedshould not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodimentsdisclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construedto include all possible embodiments along with the full scope ofequivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claimsare not limited by the disclosure.

1. A specimen-processing assembly, comprising: an opposable including— abody having a non-planar fluid-manipulating surface, at least one spacerelement coupled to the body and configured to space thefluid-manipulating surface from a slide to define a fluid-carrying gapbetween the fluid-manipulating surface and the slide; and an actuatorconfigured to change a position of the opposable relative to the slideor to change the position of the slide relative to the opposable to movea volume of fluid in a first and second direction along the slide whilethe spacer element contacts the slide to vary a cross section of thefluid-carrying gap in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to thefirst and second directions.
 2. The specimen-processing assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the spacer element has a height that varies relative toa length of the opposable.
 3. The specimen-processing assembly of claim1, wherein the spacer element includes a plurality of first gappingelements at a first side portion of the fluid-manipulating surface and aplurality of second gapping elements at a second side portion of thefluid-manipulating surface.
 4. The specimen-processing assembly of claim3, wherein: the actuator is configured to rotate at least one of theopposable in a plane of rotation; and the plurality of first gappingelements define a first height profile parallel to the plane ofrotation, and the plurality of the second gapping elements define asecond height profile parallel to the plane of rotation that isdifferent from the first height profile.
 5. A specimen-processingassembly, comprising: a platen configured to support a slide having aspecimen-bearing surface; an opposable including— an arcuate body havinga fluid-manipulating surface, a first spacer at a first side portion ofthe fluid-manipulating surface, and a second spacer at a second sideportion of the fluid-manipulating surface, the second side portion beingspaced apart from the first side portion; and an actuator configured tomove the opposable relative to the platen, to move the platen relativeto the opposable, or both in a plane of rotation, the first and secondside portions being generally parallel to the plane of rotation, whereinthe first spacer has a height profile parallel to the plane of rotationdifferent than a height profile of the second spacer parallel to theplane of rotation.
 6. The specimen-processing assembly of claim 5,wherein: the first spacer includes a first plurality of discreteprotrusions configured to contact the specimen-bearing surface; and thesecond spacer includes a second plurality of discrete protrusionsconfigured to contact the specimen-bearing surface.
 7. Thespecimen-processing assembly of claim 5, wherein the first and secondspacers are configured to cause at least a portion of thefluid-manipulating surface to perpendicularly rotate relative to theplane of rotation while the actuator rotates the opposable relative tothe platen, rotates the platen relative to the opposable, or both in theplane of rotation.
 8. An opposable for specimen processing, comprising:an arcuate body having a fluid-manipulating surface, the body beingconfigured to form a fluid-carrying gap between a portion of a centralregion of the fluid-manipulating surface and a corresponding portion ofa central region of a specimen-bearing surface of a slide proximate thebody; a first spacer at a first side portion of the fluid-manipulatingsurface, the first spacer being configured to contact the slide at acorresponding first side portion of the specimen-bearing surface; and asecond spacer at a second side portion of the fluid-manipulatingsurface, the second spacer being configured to contact the slide at acorresponding second side portion of the specimen-bearing surface suchthat a volume of fluid in the fluid-carrying gap can move in a firstdirection along the slide while varying a cross section of thefluid-carrying gap in a plane substantially perpendicular to the firstdirection.
 9. The opposable of claim 8, wherein— the central region ofthe fluid-manipulating surface is between the first and second sideportions of the fluid-manipulating surface, the first and second spacersare configured to differentially space apart the first and second sideportions of the fluid-manipulating surface from the first and secondside portions of the specimen-bearing surface, respectively, so as tochange a shape of the fluid-carrying gap while the opposable rotatesrelative to the slide, the slide rotates relative to the opposable, orboth.
 10. The opposable of claim 8, wherein the first and second spacersare configured to differentially space apart the first and second sideportions of the fluid-manipulating surface from the first and secondside portions of the specimen-bearing surface, respectively, to change avolumetric taper of the fluid-carrying gap in a direction generallyperpendicular to a plane of rotation while the opposable rotatesrelative to the slide, the slide rotates relative to the opposable, orboth in the plane of rotation.
 11. A system comprising: the opposable ofclaim 8; a slide; a platen configured to support the slide; and anactuator configured to rotate the opposable relative to the platen, torotate the platen relative to the opposable, or both from a first endstate to a second end state and through a range of intermediate statesbetween the first and second end states in a plane of rotation, wherein—in the first end state, the first and second spacers are configured todifferentially space apart the first and second side portions of thefluid-manipulating surface from the first and second side portions ofthe specimen-bearing surface, respectively, so as to cause thefluid-carrying gap to volumetrically taper in a second direction, and inthe second end state, the first and second spacers are configured todifferentially space apart the first and second side portions of thefluid-manipulating surface from the first and second side portions ofthe specimen-bearing surface, respectively, so as to cause thefluid-carrying gap to volumetrically taper in a third directiondifferent than the first direction. 12-20. (canceled)